Snake Eyes
by Pure Gamer
Summary: "Just roll the dice. What's the worst that could happen?" Lea knew better. He didn't believe in luck and chance. That wasn't the way his dad taught him. You make your own luck. But when something unnatural starts telling him differently, he doesn't know what he believes. Rated T for dark themes. Pre-Diamond and Pearl.
1. Samuel Lea

"Snake Eyes"

Chapter One: Samuel Lea

I scraped my nails down the cheap dish in my hand. The crusty grime collected under my short nails. I frowned and quickly ducked my hand under the water; attempting to rid the old food stuck on my fingers.

"Best you keep scrubbin', Samuel." Barnella, the housekeeper, said. "You can wash up afterwards. Won't be the las' time you got grum under them nails."

"Yeah, 'cause this is a dirty job." I muttered.

"Never said it wasn't. You got yourself into it, you get yourself outta it." That was true, this was my punishment. Whenever I talked back to Mother and Father, I was elbow-deep in cold, brown water, scraping dishes. I had quite a mouth when I was a kid, but I usually behaved. It wasn't often I was doing the dirty jobs.

I looked over my shoulder at Barnella. She was folding our fancy handkerchiefs. I knew what that meant. "Party tonight?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yep. 'Fraid we're not invited." Typical. I turned back to my work and continued. There was nothing to say. It wasn't like I really wanted to attend my parents party, I just hated being left out. I always hated being left out. Who did like it? It makes you feel like you're not good enough.

Of course, that led to me thinking in my room that I wasn't good enough. That was an often thing. Countless times Barnella has gone into my room just to sit and hug me. I hated it when she did it, but she did it anyways. It _did_ help sometimes, though.

I ran my fingernails over the last dish in the giant sink. I put it in the large pile. "Done." I quickly grabbed a towel and started picking at my dirty nails.

"It'll take some time 'fore you'll get them clean." Barnella said. I heard the agitation in her voice. She looked over and rolled her eyes. "You're doin' it wrong." She walked over and threw the towel on the ground. She used her long nails and picked the grime.

I scowled. "Ew?"

She sighed. "This is how I used t' do it. Remember?" She gave me the look. The look that implied many things at once. This time it implied, "well you should remember, Samuel."

Yes, I did remember. It had probably been a year or two since the last time she picked crust from under my nails. "I remember, Nella. Still gross." She examined my nails.

"Alright. Go play 'fore the party." I nodded and took off. I left the washroom; entering the large, black-and-white kitchen. The backdoor was there. I ran to it and entered the patio. The newest addition to Saydan Manor. It was closed off with special netting and had fancy outdoor furniture. Nothing incredibly exciting.

The patio door swung open and I cleared the few steps leading down to the yard, and then I was gone. I sprinted out to the woods that separated Saydan Manor and Hearthrome.

Hearthrome was an okay-sized town. Compared to nearby Solaceon, which was a small farmland, it was a good sized. But compared to Sunyshore, a place I've heard great tales about, it's not much. Sunyshore was _the biggest _city in Sinnoh. The champion before the current champion came from Sunyshore, and it sort of became a big draw. I didn't understand it. He was a Water Type trainer, and carried the 'proud' name of Wally. Everyone adored him. And then when the current champion came into the picture, Wally just stepped down and became the Gym Leader of Sunyshore.

Rocky is what they call the champion. There are rumors that he beat all the gyms in both Johto and Kanto. And of course, all the gyms here. How he, a Rock Type trainer, beat a Water Type is a mystery. Most say that he just let Rocky have the title. That blows my mind to no end. Why on _Earth _would you let someone just take your hard-earned title?!

Of course, since he came over from either Kanto or Johto, he's all about letting people come over no-problem from other regions. There's nothing wrong with that, but that's the only thing he does. Both him and Wally were all about being neutral. So, they don't do anything spectacular for our region. They just are adored by the commoners.

Except for me. I couldn't care less about them. They don't try to make me do anything, so I leave them be. Besides, who was I to care about politics? If you could even call it that. My father cared about it all, not I.

I dropped my thoughts once I reached the wagon nearby. That wagon was constantly filled with fresh hay, but never left and never had anyone around it. It was nicknamed The Phantom Wagon. And that was the meeting-place for my group of friends.

There was Haystack, Tails, and Cloud. Haystack was a gangly little guy, but he lived on a farm in-between Hearthrome and Solaceon. One day he was doing work in the top of the barn, and we all went over to get him, and Tails yelled "Hey!" and he fell out of the barn and into a large haystack. We fell on the ground laughing, and that's how he got that name. Tails was a tomboy. She grew up with all brothers, and a mom who passed away while she was a baby. But, she always wore her hair in two Ponyta-tails, so she was dubbed Tails. I think she's very proud of her nickname, unlike Haystack, but after a while it grew on him. Cloud never officially got a nickname. No one really knows if that's his real name or not.

The thing was, the three of us, Haystack, Tails and myself were all outcasts, and one day the older kids were picking on us, and Cloud stepped up and protected us. He then became an outcast himself, and he started hanging around with us. He told us to call him Cloud, and we did.

"Hey, it's Richie!" …Yes, that was my nickname. Because I lived in Saydan Manor and my parents were Endell and Annette Saydan, the most respected people on this side of Sinnoh. It was either Richie or Sammy, both I wasn't happy about, but it was better than being called Samuel all day.

My friends welcomed my to The Phantom. Haystack popped his head out of the hay on the wagon. "It is. 'Bout time you showed up, Richie.

"Yeah, we thought of a game." Cloud smirked, "it's called snag some food, because I'm hungry." Cloud was a loner. He didn't have family, he lived in a shack. He 'snagged' his food when he was hungry. Haystack and Tails had 'snagged' food for him before, but the most I've ever done is bring him bread from Nella's pantry. I wasn't "gutsy" enough, as Cloud had said.

"Get your own food, we're not your _slaves._" Tails said. She put her hands on her hips. "You better not think that."

Cloud chuckled. "Don't be so offended."

"I have a right to be offended." She raised her eyebrows.

"Stop making it a big deal." Cloud waved her off and looked at me. "So Rich Stuff, word on the street is that there's a big party at your place tonight."

I nodded. "Apparently."

Haystack jumped out of the wagon excitedly. "Want us to come crash it?!"

I thought. "Tempting, but no. I'd spend the rest of my life scraping dishes with my nails."

Haystack sighed. "Yeah, I'd be rakin' Miltank dung 'til the day I die if my parents ever found out."

"Well, I wouldn't be caught, but if I was…I'd be locked in my room for an eternity. My dad already worries about me too much." Tails said.

"That's the problem with having parents and people looking after you. I could do it, I wouldn't pay a consequence." Cloud smiled proudly.

"Except if that little thing called _the police _came to find you." Tails reminded.

Cloud shook his head. "Nah, I would get out of whatever cell I was put into. Done it before."

"Yeah right." Tails rolled her eyes.

"You know you could come over to my house." Haystack said to me. "We could terrorize Miltank while your parents do their thing."

"Sounds fun, but I think I have to be home for this one. Nella told me to get home."

"Aren't you supposed to tell the housekeeper what to do?" Haystack gave me a look.

"Well, my parents do, but…"

"But, Richie has to listen to her until he inherits all of his daddy's money." Cloud smirked and messed up my hair. "Let's do something. I'm bored."

"Tag?" Haystack loved tag.

"Nah."

"Hide an seek?" Tails suggested.

"Nope."

"We could have a battle." That was one of my favorite things to do. I was in trainer school, along with Tails and Haystack, but it was summertime; no school. But we still had our rookie Pokémon. A Staravia and a Magikarp. The Magikarp to use so our Staravia would have something to battle, since we weren't allowed to go find wild Pokémon or partake in battling others.

"C'mon, watching you guys battle is so stupid. We should watch a real battle." Cloud looked behind him and towards the gym. "Here's a deal, next time Remora is battling, we go and watch her. We'll meet behind the gym. Got it?" The three of us nodded. "Alright, I'm gonna go snag some dinner from the market before everyone leaves. Catch you kids later." He took off towards the marketplace.

Tails sighed. "It's starting to get dark…I have to go too. Good luck at home tonight, Sammy. See ya Haystack." She waved and sprinted towards the other side of town. Me and Haystack looked at each other.

"Just me and you." I said.

"Hey, we should go see if Mom's got some Moo Moo Milk to spare." Haystack grinned, and I nodded. We started for Wormsley Plantation, the smallest "plantation" ever. But Haystack's family was proud of their farm, so you had to respect it.

Rather soon we were walking through the field behind their old house. We got to the backdoor and entered the living room. "Jefferson Wormsley!" Haystack's mom bellowed. "You did not finish your work in the field today, and I had to send _your sister_ out to finish the job." She shook her head in disappointment. "You better not let it happen again, Jefferson." She really wasn't a harsh mom, she was just loud. She was actually a really nice lady.

"Don't worry Mom, I won't." Haystack smiled sheepishly. "Can Sammy and I have some milk?"

Mrs. Wormsley lightened up. "Of course you two can! I'll bring you some right away." She walked into the next room and quickly returned with three bottles. She handed one to Haystack and the other two to me. "Here you are. Take some now and save some for later." She winked.

"Thank you." I smiled. She patted my head and left the room. "I better get home. Stay out of trouble, Haystack."

He laughed. "Yeah right. Bye, Richie." I rolled my eyes at my nickname and started home.

"Samuel Lea!" Nella whispered hastily at me. I closed the backdoor quietly behind me. I heard slow music playing and a bunch of voices, the party had already started. She put her hands on her hips. She was wearing her actual housekeeper uniform; she only wore it during parties. "Where have you been? I told you t' be home by the party!"

"I'm sorry, I went out to Wormsley Plantation." I whispered.

"O' course you did. The one time yer parents say they want you t' attend supper!" She led me towards the back staircase. She looked over her shoulder. "Marcy, take over." I didn't even notice the extra hands were working in the kitchen.

We walked up the steps and in my room quickly. My suit was laid on my bed. She ran into the bathroom and I heard her start the water. "Scrub up then get yourself ready, you hear, Samuel Lea?" She gave me the look. I nodded and quickly got into the bath while she went back to the kitchen.

I dressed in my suit and walked over to the mirror. My hair was sticking up everywhere. I quickly combed the brown locks into place, then headed back down to the kitchen. Nella examined me. She frowned. "Samuel, you need t' learn how t' put them bowties on correctly." She undid the bowtie then quickly got it into place. "There, now you're the handsome kiddo your mama and daddy will love t' see." She smiled. "Now wait in the living room 'til you get called in for supper."

I nodded and walked into the next room over. The living room was the only room with a television. It was one of the largest rooms in the whole house, but it wasn't a room my parents entertained in. They stuck to the dining room and sitting room. Two rooms which I was only allowed in for dinner.

My hands were shaking. I was quite nervous. This was, really, the first time I had ever gone to one of my parent's parties. I didn't know who, or what, to expect.

The door opened. My dad stepped in. "Samuel, come here." I approached my father. He was quite an intimidating man. He dressed in only formal apparel, suit and tie only, and stood nearly six feet tall. He loved his height; he always stood proudly. That added on to the intimidation. But the main thing was the four or five partners he had always accompanying him. They were a powerful bunch, and if you saw five or six suits coming your way, you'd be scared to death.

"Son, be on your _best_ behavior. I expect nothing but the absolute best." He put his hand on my shoulder. "That's a good rule to live by. Trust me." He winked, but there wasn't a sense of playfulness ever. My father was nothing if not serious.

"I will. I'll be good, I promise." I slightly smiled and he led me into the foyer. A mass of people stood around, holding glasses oh-so elegantly and laughing politely. A man, probably my father's age, strolled over. He held the seriousness my dad had; I could see it in his eyes. His blonde hair was combed fashionably, and his suit was wrinkleless.

"Maroon, this is my son, Samuel Lea. Son, this is Maroon, my new advisor."

Maroon bowed and held his hand out. "How do you do, Samuel Lea?" His voice was light, but his grip on my hand was strong. "I quite admire your name. My grandfather worked for the first Samuel Lea, and I appreciated him so."

"Yes, Maroon's family has been corresponding with ours for generations. Once I heard he was in the area I had to get him here and offer him this position."

"And I gratefully accepted." Maroon smiled. "You'll be seeing a lot of me, I'm afraid. That is why your father wanted us acquainted." Maroon stepped next to Dad. He was probably only five feet tall. Dad towered over him; that's why he liked him so much, I bet.

We stood around for a few more moment, then Nella announced dinner. We walked into the formal dining room. My table was extra-long as everyone sat down. I sat in-between my dad, who sat at the head, and my mom. Nella and the other hands sat the large bird and all of the sides on the table. She made up mine, my moms and my dad's plate first.

"So Endell, have you heard that the champion is thinking about making hunting illegal?" One of the men asked.

Dad shook his head. "I have, and it's absolutely ridiculous. Hunting is recreation, practically a sport, and he just wants to take it away?"

"Well, I think it's because they don't want you hunting and killing Pokémon, Mister Saydan." Someone else said.

"Of course that's what it's about. I know they have banned such things in other regions, but Sinnoh is one of the oldest regions in the world. Hunting and eating Pokémon is an old practice, because we're old and historical. Am I right?" Most of the people nodded or grunted their agreement. Dad grabbed his Staravia leg and took a large bite. "And, it's also quite delicious." We laughed. I took a bite of my meat. Staravia wasn't my favorite by far, it was much too dry for my liking, but when it came to Goldeen and Magikarp, I did eat my fair-share of meat. It was really good and filling. Nella was a vegetarian; I couldn't be one if someone forced me. I tried going for a long time without meat, and it was awful.

The dinner continued. I ate my plate, and then a slice of Nella's best berry pie. Then I was sent up to my room.

Barnella escorted me upstairs, as my mom suggested. We sat on my bed. "Did you have a nice time, Samuel?"

I nodded. "It was fun…I hope I can get to go again." I _did_ hope that that wouldn't be my last formal dinner party. I felt incredibly important going.

"Good. An' don't you be worrying 'bout that. You'll be goin' again. You're gettin' older now. More mature." She patted my head then kissed my forehead. "I'll be up late cleanin' up your mama and daddy's mess, so you better go to sleep when you're s'pose to." She gave me the look and I nodded. "Night, Samuel. Sweet dreamin'."

"Goodnight Nella." She left the room and closed the door behind her. I laid back in the bed. _Now that was fun. _I smiled. _And I'll be going to more. _I scooted off my bed and walked over to my balcony. I looked out into the starry night sky. It was a beautiful sight. The stars were extra sparkly tonight, as if they knew I was admiring them.

That was the first time I heard the words echo around my head.

_"You are of great importance, Samuel Lea."_

* * *

**Authors Note: **Hey there readers! I'm so excited to have started this story. This story won't be very long, but it won't be terribly short, so don't be too disappointed.

For my readers who came over from TCB: Because I have The Champion Trilogy planned, all in which I use the same format, I decided to give y'all a break and use a new one. As it says above, it won't be super long, (It won't be even half of The Champion's Beginning...Ugh, that thing is so long.) but it will fill its purpose.

I hope things aren't to confusing. Samuel Lea(Pronounced _Lee, _not _Leah_. I know you were thinking it.) is my OC, who is featured in my other Fanfiction The Champion's Beginning, but this is his story, and you don't need to read the other one to understand this at all. Never fear, I've got your back!

Thanks for reading!


	2. Unnaturally Supernatural

Chapter Two: Unnaturally Supernatural

The night was chilly. I shivered on my balcony; not only because of the weather, but because of the voice I heard in my mind. It wasn't so much as a _voice,_ though. I couldn't distinguish its gender. It was mysterious, and rather unnatural.

Maybe unnatural is the wrong word…Supernatural would be better, but it wasn't as suiting. Unnaturally supernatural came to mind. It's somewhat of an oxymoron. That made it fit.

The shock started to ease and I scrambled to my feet. My breath was hasty. I was so confused tears came to my eyes and skidded down my cheeks. I was only a child, after all. I stepped backwards, keeping my eyes peeled for anything that might hurt me, and I shut the door and locked the three bolts. I decided now was a good time for bed.

I checked my closet, under my bed, the bathroom, and the hallway before I could bring myself to lie down. I was still trembling under my silk and satin sheets. Attempting to keep my eyes closed was turning into quite a chore. It was hard to not peek into the night. Soon, when I would open my eyes, the darkness would morph into shadows. This caused me to hide under my pillows and hope that the voice wouldn't return.

Eventually, my exhaustion beat the scared little kid, and I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The yellow eggs sitting on my plate looked extra unappealing this morning. So did the tea that steamed in my face. I wasn't in an eating mood. I put the mug back on the creamy, wooden table. Nella came over and dumped more eggs on my plate. "Don't tell me you ain't gonna eat this."

I smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'm not hungry."

"_Not_ hungry? Child, you don't sleep 'til lunch and tell me you ain't hungry." She squinted. "What's goin' on?"

"I didn't sleep well last night." I shrugged.

She pointed her nose up and looked down at me. "Did this have anythin' t' do 'bout your daddy?"

"What? No." I shook my head. "Nothing like that. I just couldn't sleep."

She sighed. "Well, you're still eatin' this." She sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. I wasn't getting out of this. I started shoving forkfuls of eggs in my mouth and tried not to think about it. If they stayed in my mouth too long I had the worst time swallowing them. It was awful.

After choking down the last bites, Nella gave me the okay to go out to the town. I sprinted through the forest and quickly found The Phantom. Cloud was leaned against it, arms firmly wrapped around his chest. I stepped out towards the wagon.

"Richie." He nodded his head. "Glad to see someone show up."

I arched my eyebrow. "Where are the others?"

"Haystack is swamped with good old farm work, Tails and her family went camping for the weekend." He rolled his eyes. "Stupid." He muttered.

I nodded. "So what are we going to do?"

"Well, I hear Ramona is having a battle later." He smirked. "Meet me at the gym, five o' clock sharp?" I smiled and nodded my head vigorously. "Catch ya on the flipside, Rich Stuff." He messed up my hair before heading the other direction. _What to do, what to do…_ I looked around. The market was nearby, but Nella did all the shopping. Past the market was the small contest hall, a group of nicely dressed people stood outside chatting. Towards the back of town was the gym, it looked pretty much abandoned; that would change once the battle starts.

I gave up and started to trek home. Cloud was off, probably getting into mischief, Haystack was too busy being bellowed at to visit, and Tails went on her way-too-often camping trips. Apart from the gym, market, underused contest hall and the farm trades there was nothing Hearthrome offered. Might as well go home.

I took the long way. That was going all the way around Saydan Manor in the woods. These woods were very relaxing. It was filled with summertime colors, and you could hear all the Bird Type's chirping and talking about. The trees made a canopy overhead; only letting slits of light pop through to brighten the path ahead.

But, the beauty of the forest was short-lived. Suddenly, everything turned black. A sharp wind blew past my head, making my untrimmed hair fall on my face. I gulped. Fear shot through me. The hairs on my neck picked up, and my gaze became blurry when tears started to form. "Please don't hurt me!" I shrieked.

A dark shadow formed in front of me. _"You are of great importance, Samuel Lea."_

* * *

"Samuel Lea!" I jolted awake. A scream left my lips. My vision cleared, I saw Nella, down on her knees next to me. I looked around the area. I was in the forest around my house. On the ground. "Samuel Lea, you had my worried _to death_!" I could see the tears swimming in her eyelids.

"Wha…What?" I rubbed my eyes. I felt like I was awoken from a deep sleep.

"I heard screamin' and hollerin' like nobodies Ninetales out here! And I found you layin' on the ground, sleeping as hard as a Snorlax, no less!" I could hear the worry in her tone.

"I'm sorry, Nella. I must have passed out, I didn't sleep well last night." As if on cue, I yawned.

She sighed a sigh of relief. "Well, let's get you inside."

We moved back into the house. I lay on the sofa and watched television; too scared to fall asleep. The question remained in my head: Was that…_Real_? Or was it a dream? Why is this happening to me? Am I crazy?

_No, no…I'm not crazy. I just fell asleep and had a nightmare. It's totally fine. Everything's fine. _But they weren't totally fine. Not at all.

* * *

It was about five when I walked into the gym. Ramona's opponent was standing on the field, looking nervous and scared. I smirked. This was going to be a good battle. I felt someone flick the back of my head. I turned around and was greeted by the ever-so serious Cloud. "Hey." I said.

"Want to go up there?" He pointed to the second floor balcony. I nodded. We started pushing through the crowd and made our way up the stairs. Hardly anyone stood up there, and I quickly learned why. It had an awful view. Half of the field was cut off. But, I knew by experience, saying things to Cloud that he wouldn't like is a bad idea.

"Dudes." We turned around. A hefty man in a uniform was standing there. "Let me see your tickets." Cloud dug into his pocket and pulled out two slips of paper. "Alright, enjoy the show."

Once the uniform was out of sight, I poked Cloud. "Where'd you get the money for those?"

He chuckled. "Money isn't in everything, Rich Stuff. This is the last gym for Caroline, she's going to the league is she beats Ramona, these tickets are a few hundred a pop." He pocketed the tickets. "Point is I got them. Don't worry." He leaned over the balcony, I joined. The crowd became in uproar, and I saw Ramona stroll to her side of the field. She brought out her beloved Honchcrow, and Caroline brought out a Raichu. I watched in amazement as the field lit up with every Thunderbolt, and as the room got a mysterious feel whenever Honchcrow would use a Dark Type move.

I found myself getting very engrossed. I loved a good battle, and it had been a while since I went to a gym battle. Last time it was with my father, who ended up leaving early due to work. But _this_ was worth it.

Ramona's bird took the final fatal blow, and everyone made a sound of negativity. I looked at Cloud to see his reaction, but he looked normal. Distant and unhappy. "Cloud?"

"Hm?" He looked off into the distance.

"Is something bothering you?" I asked.

He looked at me. "I need to tell you something…" He hesitated.

"What?" The crowd cheered, but I couldn't see why.

He sighed. "Richie, I'm moving. Getting out of this dead town."

My eyes bugged out of my skull. "You can't _move._ Where the heck are you going to go?"

Cloud shrugged. "Wherever I can find shelter and food."

"But…Why?"

"There's a time in everyone's life where they need to find new places and new faces. And I'm ready for that now."

"Cloud—" I started.

"No. It's not Cloud anymore." He snapped. "It's Storm."

"Storm?" I echoed.

He nodded. "You need a new name for new places. I'm going to be a new person this time. I might even become a trainer." He shrugged.

I was dumbfounded. I didn't even know what to say. "When?" I murmured. I thought I was inaudible, but he heard me.

"Tonight." He looked away. "Tell the others for me tomorrow. I'll be long gone by then." He looked at me in the corner of his eye. "Sorry, kid." He started to walk away. I would have run after him, but he wasn't much to me. Yes, he was a friend, but nothing drew me to run after him. He was old enough to do whatever he wanted.

That didn't mean I didn't feel some pain for my friend. I watched him leave the gym with zero hesitation. I huffed and looked at the battle. It suddenly wasn't as interesting. I started to slump down the stairs. I found my way to the door and stepped out. I looked around. Cloud was gone. I started home.

I walked into the kitchen and into the washroom. Nella was washing dishes. "Your suppers on the table, Samuel." How she saw or heard me is a mystery. I slumped over to the old, wooden table in the corner and sat down. "The actual _eating_ table." Agitation leaked from her voice.

"Nella…Cloud is leaving."

She stopped and turned around. "Well where does that boy think he's goin'?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

She wiped her hands and walked over to the shelves. She pulled out a few loaves of bread. "Take these over t' him…T' have for when he leaves. Hurry on." She pushed me out of the washroom. I sprinted to the backdoor, past the patio, through the yard, woods, until I went to the northern end of Hearthrome. A lone shack sat on the forests' edge. I didn't see any traces of light, or life, inside. I walked to the door and banged on it, dropping a loaf in the process. Nothing.

I moved to the side window. Makeshift curtains covered the inside. "Cloud—Er, Storm? It's me…Richie." I spit the word out between my teeth. "Cloud?" I went back to the door and turned the knob. The door opened, revealing a nearly empty home. _He…Really left. _I looked at my feet. I hugged the bread closer. This place felt so empty…Until I felt my neck shiver.

"What do you want?" I whispered.

_"I want to know why you are displeased…" _

"My friend left."

_"Such a shame…Did he not care for you anymore?" _

"What? No!" I defended my friend.

_"Are you sure, Samuel Lea? He just left. He did not even give a proper explanation." _

"I know…But…He's…Cloud. He does this." I clenched my eyes.

_"Tears? Those are for the weak. Dad wouldn't approve, would he?" _

I gulped and waited. My tears dispersed. I opened my eyes. _"Much better." _

My brain snapped back. "Why am I listening to you? Go away!" I yelled. Instantly the sensation left. I shook my head. _This is too weird. _I gave the shack one last look, and then closed the door.

_Goodbye, Cloud._

* * *

**Authors Note: **Greetings, again. I know I'm extremely late, but I had lots of writing to do. This is a short chapter for my standards, so I do apologize for that. You'll be happy to know that my updating will be much sooner, so never fear. Although, I am having troubles writing this. The timeline is hard to construct. If you have any comments on that, please let me hear them.

Next chapter will be out first time-jump, so if anyone has any advice about them, I am all ears. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Graduation

Chapter Three: Graduation

_**Three years later…**_

Waves of color surrounded me. Everywhere I looked another color popped up. Mostly blues, yellows and reds. They rained down. I grinned and joined into the laughter around me. I looked up just as the last few balloons fell. "Sammy!" I looked over. Tails stood a few feet away. She was grinning. My heart hammered in my chest. She hastily walked over; her green dress swishing around her legs. It was out of character for Tails to wear a dress, but she still held her tomboy title. She laughed. "I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time." Her auburn hair fell around her face and lay past her shoulders, out of her double Ponyta-tails.

"I've been too focused on Pokémon to smile." I joked. Her grin widened; so did mine.

"Now, we're _finally _finished with that forsaken school." She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and led me away from the happy crowd. Haystack ran excitedly over to us.

"Guys! We're graduates!" He said.

"You _bet _we are." Tails added.

"So, Richie Rich, what are you going to do now that you're a trainer with a certificate?" Haystack asked.

"I don't know. I'll probably travel around and decide." I looked at Tails. "What about you?"

"I, my dear friends, am going to start challenging the gyms. Haystack, your turn."

"I'm going to stick around home a little bit longer…" He looked over at a girl turned away from us.

"You _still _have a thing for her?" Tails raised her eyebrows. "You crazy little dude."

"What's wrong with Sarah?!" Haystack defended his crush.

"You've liked her for years, yet you've never said a word to her," I paused, "That's why you're a crazy little dude." Haystack frowned.

"Well, you're never going to see her again if you don't say something now." Tails grabbed Haystack's wrist. "Let's go meet Sarah."

Haystack fought back. "Don't do this, _Mirada_." Tails froze at her name and glared at him.

"_Don't you call me that._" She hissed. She yanked Haystack across the room. Even though he had gotten much taller, over six feet, he was still just as scrawny and weak as he was as a child.

I watched the scene unfold. Tails got Sarah's attention, and Haystack turned red. But the mission was accomplished, because they started talking. Tails spun around and started back towards me. She looked very pleased. _Alright, Samuel Lea, you said you'd do it on graduation day…You said you'd tell her…Now's the time. _I gulped. Nerves filled my stomach. They multiplied when she approached.

"That boy can't do anything on his own. You'd think that a fifteen-year-old could function without someone there to hold his hand." She rolled her eyes.

I chuckled. "Yeah, you'd think. So…I have something to tell you." My throat ran dry, and it ached when I tried to swallow. "Uhh…" I stammered.

"Well what is it?" She smiled.

I smiled and took a deep breath. "I—"

"You guys!" Haystack stepped in-between us. "You won't ever believe this, she asked me out!"

"_She _asked _you_?" Disbelief rang in Tails voice.

"Well you're right, we don't believe you." I muttered.

"Yeah! I swear!" Haystack ignored me. "Tomorrow we're going to go to that ice cream place on Main. Tails, I can't ever thank you enough."

Tails straightened up proudly. "You got that right." She looked at me. "What did you want to tell me?" Haystack cocked his head at me.

I cut my eyes at him and said, "I'll tell you later."

"Okay. Well this girl's got stuff to do. Catch you later." She spun around and sauntered out the door; pulling her hair up, as it should be.

I felt a tight grasp on my shoulder. I turned, my mom and dad stood there, smiling at me. My mom, unlike the other moms, wasn't crying, but I could see that she was happy for me. My dad looked normal, but with some extra sense of emotion written on his face. "Son, I'm proud of you." My father slightly smiled.

The words rang in my ears. The first time I had ever heard them in that order. "Thank you, Dad." I grinned.

"We should get home, there's a celebration for you there." I nodded and the three of us left the school in Jubilife and went home.

* * *

Nella and the other servants had put together an extravagant meal. A large bird sat on the table, steaming delightfully. Vegetables off to the side, sautéed to perfection. Berry mixes sprinkled around the dining table. You could smell the foreign seasonings; tying the carefully-made items in a bow.

My parents' parties became less and less often. Once Maroon, my father's advisor, came into the picture, Dad hardly invited his group of suits over. He had a lot of one-on-one meetings with Maroon. But apparently they were getting work done. Now when we had a party Nella and the staff made it extra-extravagant.

Dad had his business partners over for my celebration. They stood around chatting. Haystack and Tails showed up later, in their graduation outfits. The Wormsley household came over. Haystack's two brothers and three sisters were all-too excited to be at a "fancy party." Tails left her brothers at home, where they belong. At my eleventh birthday they came and trashed the place. They've been cordially uninvited to parties since.

We all ate together like everyone at the table was equal. But afterwards the business people gathered around with drinks, while the Wormsley's stood around awkwardly, making small-talk with Nella. The three of us got pie and went up to my room, something we've done way too often. Tails, Haystack and I hung out until the sun barely started to set. Tails left, knowing her dad would worry too much.

Once she was long-gone, probably all the way home, Haystack gave me a weird look. "So what did you want to tell Tails, Sammy?" He arched an eyebrow.

I gulped and felt my cheeks flush. Haystack had been suspicious of me for a while now. "Nothing."

"Yeah, 'cause that ain't a big, fat lie." He rolled his eyes in perfect Tails fashion. "You know, you should just confess your _love_ and get it over with."

I was taken aback. I gaped at him. "That's an overstatement!" I yelled.

"No it isn't! I can tell just by the way you look at her. It's the same way my dad looks at a big glass of Moo Moo Milk. Four letters, l-o-v-e."

"Of all the four-letter words, that's the one you know the least about." I chided.

"Offense _taken_." He frowned. "Listen, take my advice," he gestured towards himself and continued, "if you just tell her, you'll feel better. That even rhymes. See, it _has_ to be good advice if it rhymes." He smiled at himself.

I half-heartedly chuckled. "Fine. I'll tell her tomorrow."

"No, you have to do it tonight." He nodded, as if agreeing with himself. The way he was talking, you could almost believe he knew what he was talking about. Emphasis on "almost."

"And why is that?" I humored him.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've seen it in those movies that make my momma cry. You know, the one's about love and all. Seems like a good plan." He smiled sheepishly.

My heart thudded with excitement. "That just might be a good idea." I smiled. "Thanks, Haystack." I stood up and rushed to the door.

"Go get 'em, you big love bug." I ignored him and ran down the hallway, stairs, patio, yard and didn't stop until I was through the forest. I took the simple path into one of the Harthrome neighborhoods, following a line of matching green and yellow houses down the street.

_Okay, what am I going to say. _I played through the scene in my head. _We would sit on her front steps, like we did regularly, and I would look at her moonlit face; some hairs escaping their holds and falling in front of her eyes. "What did you want to tell me?" Her soft and somewhat high voice would say. _

_ "Well…" I hesitate, but then continue gracefully. "I've been in love with you for years, Tails. You're the best person I've ever come to know." _

_ She would laugh gently. "I know, Sammy. I love you too." _

I smiled at the thought. I turned the corner, her yellow house standing nearby. I froze. She was already sitting on the steps. I saw the outline of a guy in our class. One who I didn't correspond with, and I didn't think she did either. But when I saw how close they were to each other—hips touching—the way they were intently watching each other…And especially the way they were holding each other's hands.

I spun around and turned the corner, praying they hadn't seen me. I stopped and walked down the alleyway there, making a shortcut to the forest, where I could hit a sprint and run. I felt something ball in my chest. An odd mixture of anger, embarrassment, and sadness. I suddenly couldn't suck in air hard enough.

Before I knew it, my arm raised up and punched a hole in the door of someone's house. I froze and looked at my hand, then at the hole. The light inside was off, I took that as a good sign and ran down the alleyway. I didn't stop, I just went for the woods.

The lump in the chest was still there when I hit the forest. It even felt heavier. I grabbed my hair and pulled. "How—" I couldn't even think words. I just saw him and her. _And I was oblivious. _I squeezed my eyes together and threw both fists into a tree.

"_She did not tell you, did she_?" A voice rang in my head. I ignored it and leaned against a tree; tears piercing my eyes. "_She led you on…_" Something clicked. She _never_ told me. _If I knew, I could have gotten over her so much…Better. _I groaned when my heart ached.

"_Exactly. She did this to you." _Anger bubbled in my chest, overflowing any other feeling that was once there.

"You're so right." I said. "She…She…!"

"_Say it._"

"She's worthless!" I yelled. I started for the house, which was in-sight.

"_What are you going to do about it_?"

I stopped. That was a hard question. "I don't know."

"_She doesn't deserve you even as a friend._"

The thought of not having her somewhere in my life stung harder than a Bug Type. "Wait…What?" My anger was temporarily doused. I could feel myself calming down, and then I felt my anger being pushed back up. "What are you doing?!" I wasn't sure if this "thing" was doing anything or not, but something felt unnatural about…Myself. Anger grew inside me like a super-growing plant, blossoming into intense anger. Something pulsed in my body; anger I'd never felt before. "What did you do?" I growled. The thing must have ignored me, but I didn't care a second later. I was stomping to the house, set on never seeing Tails again.

* * *

A few days later Haystack and I lay in the summertime Hearthrome heat. "What do you wanna do?" Haystack asked.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Die." Haystack muttered. He lifted his head and looked towards the woods. "Want to go into town?" I shook my head. "Barney's Ice Cream is probably opened." I shook my head again. "C'mon, you never wanna do _anything._" He huffed and slammed back down in the perfectly trimmed grass.

I frowned. "Well I'm so sorry I don't feel like eating disgusting ice cream at a dirty shack!"

"It's delicious and you know it!" He acted offended.

"It is not. Barney never washes his hands. Seriously, have you ever seen them not covered in Dialga-knows-what?" I grimaced. "Besides, you just like it ever since you went there with Sarah."

"Whatever." He sighed. "I'd rather hang out with Tails…" He murmured.

"_Fine_, go hang out with her then!" I stood up. "Who's stopping you?!"

Haystack jumped up. "You should come too. It'd be just like old times. Ya know, we'd get ice cream and lick it clean at The Phantom, then we'd try to sneak into a battle, maybe go out into the woods and have one ourselves. We do have our licenses now." He grinned and raised his eyebrows.

That thought sounded great. I considered it for a second, but quickly declined the invitation. "It wouldn't be like old times. It never will be again. First Cloud left, now Tails…No."

"What the heck happened with Tails that made you be all mean to her?" I hadn't told Haystack what I saw, I knew he'd go and tell Tails everything he knew. Including, in his words, confessing my love.

I sighed. "Just drop it." I spit. "Know she did it to herself." I spun around and headed towards the house.

"You haven't been the same Richie since, ya know. I miss the old Richie." I heard Haystack yell. I frowned at my awful nickname I would never shake. I wanted to turn around and yell back so badly, but I knew that wouldn't get me anywhere. Nella raised me better than that.

I walked into the kitchen and slammed the door. Nella, who was wiping down the counters, jumped. "Samuel Lea, what on Earth do ya think yer doin' treatin' the glass doors that way?" The words spilled out of her mouth quickly; all jumbled and hard to decipher. Luckily I was a professional at deciphering the language of Nella. She walked over and examined the glass. She gave me a look. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing." I muttered. I crossed my arms over my chest.

She gave me a look of disbelief. "Where's that Wormsley boy?"

"Going home I hope."

"Why would you hope that, child?" There was a tone of sincerity in her voice.

I shot her a mad look. "I'm not a _child_, Nella. I'm fifteen years old. I can leave this dirt-hole whenever I please."

"You sure do talk a lot, but you don't do much doin'." She went back to her cleaning.

"I don't know why, I might as well just leave. There's nothing holding me here."

"Well you're just in a sour mood, aren't ya?" She cut her eyes at me. "Best get over it."

I didn't reply and walked into the living room. It was empty and recently cleaned. I thought I would find my mom in there, reading or something. But she wasn't. I sat on the teal couch, it matched the room perfectly. It was filled with mixtures of blues. From the royal blue walls with baby blue circle designs covering it, to the turquois rug lining the far wall. My mom liked blue. And red, the dining room and coordinating sitting room were done up in royal red and tan.

In the next room over, my father's study, I could hear the faint sound of what sounded like fighting. "Nella," I yelled, "what is that noise?"

She came in the room rolling her eyes and said, "Your parents are bickering again."

"Oh." That wasn't surprising. "Is Dad leaving again?" He went on a lot more business trips over to Sunyshore these days.

"Yes, tomorrow I believe." She sighed heavily. "Your mama don't like that."

"I know she doesn't." I said.

"You stay out of their business, you hear?" She said firmly. She even pointed at me; the sure-sign she was serious.

"Yeah Nella, don't worry."

"Good." She walked back into the kitchen. I got comfortable on the sofa and grabbed the remote. Right then, I heard something that stuck out to me. One word: _Divorce. _

I shot up to my feet. _There's no way my mom said that…There's no way! _I thought. I heard the mumbles oozing into the room. I looked at the doorway going into the kitchen, I couldn't see Nella. I tip-toed to the other door and opened it. I stepped into the foyer and up to the study door.

"…Too much!" I heard my mom yell.

"Annette," my dad started, "if I don't ever leave, we won't ever make money. We've been through this too many times to count."

"I don't care anymore! It's not just the trips, it's _you_, Endell." She spit. "You're not the same man you used to be. That strong, caring man I fell in love with eighteen years ago." I could hear her voice catch, she was crying.

"I may not be the same man. I'm much more successful and—"

"Don't even start complementing yourself! You can do that when all of your business partners come by, but you can't do that with me. You're _not_ the same. You're selfish and inconsiderate and most of all conceded!"

My dad sighed, as if this conversation was boring or unnecessary. "What are you telling me, Annette? You really want a divorce?"

I heard my mom gasp for breath. "Yes, I do. I expect that you, Mister Businessman, can get everything settled for that. Just know I won't be here when you get back from your _trip, _you lazy, selfish—_." _I heard something smack, and I quickly stepped back into the living room, diving for the couch. I quickly sat when Mom came in the room. She had her hand clamped over her mouth, tears streaming down her face, and blood escaping between her fingers. She rushed through the room and into the kitchen. That was an unexpected sight.

My mom was a gentle woman, who liked to read cookbooks for fun although she never touched a pot or pan, she just liked the thought of being a housewife. Decorating her huge house was her favorite pastime. She was loving, but not in the way I ached for as a child. She wasn't the mother who held and rocked me, that was all Nella. She tried to be that mom; she just wasn't.

"Dear goodness girl, what happened t' you?!" I heard Nella say. My mom said something, but between the crying and the hand muffling her words I couldn't tell what she said. Through the doorway I saw Mom run upstairs and Nella hurrying after her. I gave them a good five minute head start, then I rushed up to my parents room.

The master bedroom was huge, it took up a whole side of the upstairs part of the house. It had a sitting section, a king-sized bed, and a corner dedicated to my mom's makeup. They sat over at her vanity, Nella holding a soaked washcloth to Mom's tear-stained cheek. I approached them. "Mom?"

"Yes, dear?" She whispered. I saw her eyes well up with tears.

"What happened?"

She didn't answer. "Your daddy, that's what." Nella answered. She moved the washcloth to dip it in the punchbowl filled with water. I saw the mark on Mom's jaw. Dad must have slapped her across the face.

I shook my head. "I'm so sorry, Mom."

A few tears fell down her face. "No Samuel, I'm sorry." She held out her arms and I instinctively bent down for a hug. "I can't stay here any longer. I'm going to Eterna to live with my sister for a while."

"I understand. I want to leave, too." She leaned back and cupped her hands on my face. "Go do what you want to do, live out your dreams. I didn't. I never did, and it's too late for me." She kissed my forehead; her tears dripping on my face.

"Go on now, Samuel Lea." Nella said. I stood up and stepped backwards. Nella put the cloth back on Moms face; making her wince. I spun around and left, going straight to my room. I closed the door and slumped down to the floor.

_Why is understanding so easy…But accepting it so hard?_

* * *

**Authors Note: **I am happy to say that I've been a writing FOOL again! Getting work done, whoop. So! This chapter I quite like...I know that I somewhat forced three "things" to happen, and you all might feel suffocated by that, but the next few chapters are going to even it all out, so never fear. But still, any advice for that? Opinions? How'd I do? Yadda, yadda.

Also! First time jump...I really need opinions about that...There may or may not be more depending on how things end up playing out. AS I've said before, the timeline is quite difficult to plan out, so that I have to "wing". Somewhat, at least.

I updated my Blog three times yesterday...Trying to make up for missing so many weeks. The link to that is in my profile, I will try to link it here: ablogforgamers dot BlogSpot dot c-o-m Maybe they won't detect that as a link. Anyways, there's an actual link on my bio you can safely click on.

SIDE NOTE: Cover art for this story is in the process of being made! It's so awesome, I'm so excited for you all to see it!

Please review, favorite, follow...All those things you crazy kids do. Thanks for reading!


	4. Act One

Chapter Four: Act One

Moms luggage was plentiful. Four bags dedicated to clothes, three to random things, three for curtains and sheets, and one for pictures and sentimental things. Dad had left for Sunyshore a day earlier, and, to my knowledge, the two of them hadn't even whispered a goodbye. That first night my mom was locked in her bedroom with Nella there to comfort her, while my dad slept in the spare bedroom like nothing was wrong. But it _was_ wrong. So wrong.

The last time I had witnessed my mom cry was when her mom died a few years earlier. She wasn't one to cry. But listening to her bawl for a whole night made you think she cried professionally. Maybe she was a professional now. My dad acted as if everything was okay. He went to bed at his usual time, woke up at his usual time, ate breakfast, readied himself then left off for business. Maybe he never cared about my mom the way a husband should. I had only seen any affection when they had parties. My mom would wrap herself around my dad's arm like a prize. They never spoke lovingly to one another, held hands (Out of public), hugged or kissed unless they were being watched.

I never knew how oblivious of a child I was until that moment I watched my mom walk out the door, frown planted heavily on her reddened face, bruise on her jaw, eyes swollen from tears; and never planning to return. She gave me a look of sorrow, not of love, and continued down the front porch. No goodbye. I didn't say anything, either. What were you supposed to say? 'Goodbye Mom, sorry my father is such a bad person and broke your heart. See you never.' We both knew that, there was no need to state the obvious. I thought about saying 'I love you' one last time, in person at least, but thought against it. What was love?

When I thought of what love was, my instinct was to think of my parents. That was the "love" I had seen my entire life. Or suppose-to-be love; but was nothing but an act in a play. The thought _Do I love my mother?_ echoed in my mind. My heart ached at the thought of her leaving, but not in the way I thought it should. I missed her already in the mere minutes she was gone. But _why_?

_The routine._ I thought. _The routine of seeing her every day, talking to her, possibly hugging her, knowing she's been with me my whole life, she carried me before my first breath, she was the first person to hold me…_ Naturally I loved my mother. In such a forced way. Not the way I loved Nella. I loved Nella because I knew that, no matter what, she would be there to hold me if I broke down in tears. She would sit there while I scraped dishes with my fingernails. She would be the person I'd see right before I went to bed, and when I woke up. I loved her the way I should love my mother. In my mind, she _was_ my mother. She always has been.

So I didn't say or do anything while my mom left. I pushed away feelings of hurt and abandonment. _"Do not let yourself feel this way."_ The voice said. I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. I changed my emotions completely and callused myself a little in the process.

Two days later I sat in the living room. Nella was sitting next to me, flipping through a book mindlessly. In those few days this had been the normal scene. I didn't _do_ anything. I knew Nella was worried about me. I wasn't the person who was content not doing anything. But I just sat around. I could feel the "thing" that bothered me around more and more often. I would find myself thinking about what I was going to do about him…But overall I didn't think much of it.

I heard the front door creak open and swing shut. "Barnella!" I heard my father bellow. Nella scrambled to her feet and scurried into the foyer.

"Yes, Master Saydan?" I heard her say.

"Get me a drink, _now_. Then get my bags out of my sight." The study door slammed, and Nella ran through the room with my dad's bags and briefcase. I heard glass cling in the kitchen, and she ran through with a drink for my father. I rolled my eyes. My father wasn't in a good mood.

_ "Surprised?"_ The voice asked.

_No, not anymore. _I answered telepathically.

_"Why are you sitting here sulking?" _

_ Because, there's nothing else to do. _

_ "You lie. You are upset. Angry, even." _

_ Yeah, I'm upset…Why shouldn't I be?! My life is falling apart. _I thought. I sighed. The familiar feelings returned.

_"How is your life falling apart? From what I see, you are sitting on a custom made couch, in a living room filled with antiques and expensive things…In a mansion. Your family is that of riches, are they not?"_

I frowned. "Money isn't everything." I murmured aloud. "That's what my friends think…" I stopped right there.

_"Friends? What friends?_" The voice had a point.

"My _old_ friends. Cloud, Tails and Haystack." I whispered their names. I missed them.

_"They are worthless…Why are you even _thinking _about them?" _

"Because once, they were a big part of my life…You can't just let that go."

_"Why are you hurting yourself thinking about them?! You need to let them go, Samuel Lea. Do not ever let them cross your mind again."_ I opened my mouth to answer, but I heard my dad yell a command to Nella and I decided to go upstairs.

I walked into my room and closed the door. "I'm not intentionally hurting myself." I answered.

_"Yes, you are. You need to let them go. Promise me you will." _

I thought about it. "No." I spit. "I'm not gonna promise you anything."

_"Are you speaking that way to me? I have been nothing but nice to you, and you treat me with such…Rudeness?" _

"Nice?! How have you been nice?!" I laughed humorlessly.

_"I, Samuel Lea, have been your only friend…I have been here when you have been troubled, not your so-called friends. They never were your friends. What was that thing they called you…?" _

I scowled at the thought and muttered: "Richie."

_"Friends do not do things like that…Calling you awful names, while you sit back and take it? Were they ever your friends?" _

"No, they weren't." I huffed. "I never even thought…!"

_"Your obliviousness is a weakness." _The voice said. _"You must fix that." _

"Now you sound like my father." I sat on the seat in the corner of my room.

_"Who said that was a bad thing?"_

"No one, I guess…It's just that I've never completely agreed with my father's beliefs."

_"Which is what, exactly?" _It questioned.

I had to think about it for a second, then I said, "That it's okay to have a wife only for your own personal pleasure, and treat her like nothing but…A trophy wife. He thinks it's okay to deceive for business purposes, I've seen it happen myself. It's okay to have a child and not act like a parent but one-fourth of the time. That's just a few, I could make a long list." Talking about it made anger burn inside me. I was hugging my knees to my chest tightly.

_"Your father makes you angry?"_

"Yes." I said through gritted teeth.

_"Do you not care for him?"_

"Hardly. He's not someone worth caring for." I couldn't believe the words came out of my mouth. If Nella heard me, it wouldn't be wrong for her to slap me. She always hated it when I said negative things about either of my parents. "They're yer kinfolk." She had said. "You have t' like 'em. And deep down, you never stop lovin' 'em."

_"Then why are you still here? Still under his roof, overall living by his rules?" _

"I have nowhere to go."

_"Then change the way things are around here…Go have a talk with your father." _

I nodded. "That's a good idea." I stood up and walked down to the study. Nella didn't notice me pass since she was busy cooking. I knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in." I could tell there was some aggravation in his voice. That made my anger go up a few notches. I opened the door and shut it calmly. "Samuel Lea," my dad greeted, "have a seat." He gestured to the velvet sofa. I walked over and sat down. "Did you want to talk to me?" He scrawled something on a piece of paper in front of him.

I realized I hadn't thought of anything to say. I opened my mouth, hoping something would come at the fly, and nothing did. _Wow, that usually works. _I sat there silently.

He looked up at me. "Well? My patience is not great."

"H-how was your trip?" I tried.

"Fine." He went back to writing. "Will that be all?"

I swallowed. "No, actually. Dad, I don't like the way you treated Mom." Once the words were out, a sensation of accomplishment filled me. Then fear quickly replaced it.

Dad didn't respond at first. He finished the sentence he was writing and looked at me. He seemed utterly calm. "I apologize that you didn't like it." That was all he said before shuffling through other papers. He pulled out a document and showed me the cover. It was a logo I didn't recognize. "Does that change the fact I have this in my hand? The divorce papers? I think not." He put the paper back down and waited for my response.

That made me mad. Words spilled out of my mouth. "It might not change the fact, but maybe if _you _changed your—"

"You get your mouth from your mother." He cut me off. "To be successful, you need to learn to speak when needed…And to think before you speak."

My eye twitched. "Seriously? You're just going to…To…"

"To what? Remember, choose your words carefully."

"Be a _jerk_!" I yelled. "You need to choose your words carefully!"

"Don't raise your voice at me, child." He still acted cool and calm.

"I am _not_ a child. I could leave right now!"

He chuckled. "You are right, but you haven't, have you?"

"Well, no." I scoffed. "But I could!"

"What's stopping you, Son?" He asked.

"I don't know, maybe I keep expecting you to turn into that father I never had! Maybe I feel like I'm incomplete, and I need to be complete before I can leave! Maybe—"

"Enough!" Dad shouted. "I'm done with you! _Barnella_!" Nella immediately walked through the door, she was eavesdropping. "Take my son to the washroom, he'll be scraping the dishes for you, then lock him in his room until I say otherwise!" Nella grabbed my wrist and yanked me off the couch. She took me to the washroom and closed the door.

"Samuel Lea," she started, "what on _Earth made you do that_?!" She whisper-yelled.

"I'm not sure…" But I knew. I knew it was my voice talking me into things. In reality, I would have never done that.

"Well you're crazy!" She huffed and put her fingers on her temples. "You're turnin' me crazy." She pointed to the sink and sat at the old table. I looked in the large sink, there was only one or two meals worth of dishes. I started my hand-cleaning.

Locked in my room wasn't as bad as the thought of it. I had plenty of things to keep me occupied. The main one being the television. Even after a while of watching pointless comedies it didn't get old.

There was a knock on my door, Nella poked her head. "Best get t' bed, your daddy wants you up for breakfast tomorrow mornin'."

That was weird. "Why?"

"I don't know, and I didn't ask." That was understandable.

"Alright, I'll go to bed."

"You better." She gave me the look. "Now, you hear?"

"Okay, okay." I chuckled and stood up. I walked over to the door and gave Nella a hug. It wasn't very long, just a quick squeeze. But it was enough. "Goodnight." She nodded and closed the door and I walked over to my bed. The nightstand caught my eye. I forgot about that picture. It was of me and my parents a few years earlier when we visited Sunyshore. We were on the beach, all hugging each other and laughing. _Was all that Act One, too? _I thought back to the trip…

Ten-year-old me, splashing and playing in the waves. The beach was a new experience. The sand under my feet; in-between my toes. Nella lying on a towel on the shore, laughing whenever a wave would smack me in the face. Mom trying not to get her hair wet. Dad rolled his eyes and pushing her under the water, causing her to scream but then burst out in laughter. "My hair!" She screamed and laughed. At first she attempted to fix it, but quickly gave up and tried to push my dad under. She was severely unsuccessful.

I was laughing so hard my stomach ached. I rolled around on the creamy sand giggling. Dad scooped me up and dumped me into the ocean. I scrambled in the tide, but he held me and kept me safe. The three of us swam out until Dad couldn't touch the ocean floor. I looked for Nella, she waved from her spot. "Nella!" I yelled. "Look at me! I'm all the way out here! You look like a spec!"

"So do you!" She yelled back; laughing. Waves rolled through, making us bob up and down. I clung to my dad.

"Are you scared?" He asked me.

"Nope, I'm _never_ scared." Truth is: I was terrified. But he made me feel okay. Safe, even.

We swam back to Nella, where she unpacked a picnic. Soggy sandwiches and bottled water. It wasn't spectacular, but it was all amazing to me. The feeling of being a family was amazing. "Mom!" I chirped, "Did you see that Pokémon fly by?! He was _right there_!"

She laughed. "I see it's time to get you in Trainer School, huh?" She looked at my dad; her look softened. When they sat side-by-side, you could see the age gap between them. My dad was significantly older than Mom. Fifteen years, to be exact. But they seemed like a perfect couple. "What do you think, Endell?"

He smiled at her. "I think that's a great idea." I grinned and laughed. I threw my arms around my mom, and then continued my sandwich. We stayed on the beach until the sunset. Then sometime after I fell asleep and woke up the next morning, greeted by my happy parents. I remember being so happy, just because they were happy. We had a big breakfast, then dad left for a business meeting, leaving Mom, Nella and I to do whatever we pleased. My mom and I ended up having a good day walking around Sunyshore. The city atmosphere was so foreign and exciting. She even bought me a toy sand castle building set, and let me try it out at the beach. We had such a nice day I thought. We went to the house we were staying at and shortly after my dad came back. I was so happy to have us all together again, but that quickly changed when my mom started yelling at him about leaving her all day. I was so hurt I curled up in bed sobbing. Luckily Nella was right there to comfort me; otherwise I would have never gotten over that.

I sighed and looked away from the picture. No wonder I made myself forget that memory. I slammed the picture frame down on the table; the glass shattered. I pulled out the picture and forced myself to look at it. I could feel tears form around my eyes.

_"Get rid of that thing." _

I didn't think twice about it. I ripped it two times and flung the worthless pieces of paper on the floor. "It was all an act…" I sat on the bed and felt sorry for myself.

_"Sounds like it was your mom's fault…" _The voice spoke. _"She picked the fights, didn't she? She was the one who wanted the divorce, she wanted to leave." _

I nodded. "Yeah, she was…Weird. I guess I got used to it through the years." I shrugged and laid back. I let all those bad feelings go, something I knew I had to learn to do. I just glossed them over. "At least she's gone now."

* * *

**Authors Note: **I would just like to give a big thanks to everyone who reads this, you're all rock stars. And! I'm excited to say that I have the plot fully figured out...AND I'M SUPER EXCITED to write it out! Get excited, big things will be happening for this story. Let's just say, someone named Ace of Hearts will be involved soon enough.

How am I doing? This chapter is iffy...Don't worry, things will be picking up soon.

Oh, and have you guys read Espeonage Espeon's stories? They're some of my favorites on this sight, and that dude is pretty awesome. Go check it out! 100% recommended

Thanks for reading

Thanks for reading!


	5. Show Me

Chapter Five: Show Me

A sluggish feeling coursed through me as I wondered out of the bathroom. "That be just fine." Nella examined my outfit. She started to pick imaginary fuzz and hair off of my nice cotton shirt. She brought the comb up to my hair and parted it to the side, then to the other side, then to the middle, then back to the first side. She was acting extra antsy today.

"Nella, is something wrong?" I asked after a yawn.

She sighed. "No, Samuel. I just know that you can't hardly get dressed by yourself." She gave me the look. I didn't reply. I was too tired that morning. She gave up on my hair and started for the door. "Best not stay up here too longer. Not sure when that _fellow_ will show up." Nella called Maroon "that fellow" most of the time. Never to my dad or his face, but behind their backs. She wasn't a fan of Maroon, apparently. For reasons I wasn't sure of, nor did I care.

I stepped back into the bathroom and examined myself in the mirror. My green and tan plaid shirt and khaki pants looked fine for a summer morning. I wasn't a big fan of the apparel, but I learned to wear whatever Nella told me to.

"_If you don't like it, change._" The voice sounded annoyed.

"No, it's not a big deal." I shrugged. I ran a hand through my brown hair and messed up Nella's perfect combing. "But that had to change." I left the room and went down into the kitchen.

Nella was busily cooking up breakfast. She didn't call in the extras, I guess. She looked more stressed than usual. Guilt pulled at me. I was about to offer my help when Dad strolled into the room. "Barnella!" He yelled. "Still not done with my meal?"

"Master Saydan, I'm tryin' my best t' get it finished…I'm almost done with the first batch." She answered him coolly.

"You better be. Maroon should be here any second." His eyes move from her to me. I stood up a little straighter. "Are you going to behave, Samuel?"

I nodded. "Of course." I kept my tone as serious as his.

"Good. Now, accompany me to my study." He swiftly turned around and walked through the living room, I kept at his heels. He opened the wooden door to his study and waved me in. I walked into the wood-paneled room; covered in bookshelves and display cases and a large desk in the middle, and sat on the sofa up against the wall to the right.

Dad shut the door and slowly stepped to his desk. He acted as if he was deciding on whether to sit or stand. He finally just looked at me. "I don't want to discuss this for long, but I want to make something clear." He cleared his voice. "If you choose to talk about Annette at this meal, you're going to regret it. Also," he paused and took a step forward, "about what you said last evening, I don't appreciate you talking to me that way. I'm _sure_ you know not to speak so harshly to your father, am I correct?"

Anger started to flare up, but I ignored it and nodded. "You're correct." I spoke carefully. No emotion flowed from my tone; only seriousness. I was surprised and quite impressed with how I did that. My anger surged into courage. "But I do have one question."

He arched an eyebrow, almost in disbelief. "What is it?"

"Were you ever in love with Mom?" I didn't hesitate.

He took a deep breath. "Of course I was in love with your mother, at some point."

"_At some point_?" I echoed. "You mean after a while you stopped?"

"Do you think every couple is constantly in love with their spouse? Marriage doesn't rely on _love_, it relies on commitment. Your mother made a commitment to be my wife and mother my children. She broke that commitment, but probably because she had the same false definition of love as you do." There was no emotion flowing from his voice. It was like he had no feeling with what he was saying, just was spitting the words out carelessly.

"So basically, she was a trophy wife?" I didn't let my inner-anger leak out.

He shrugged. "I wouldn't be that cruel and stereotype her as something of the like…I married her to have a companion, and to reproduce so the Saydan name is kept for generations. Now I have someone to carry the name," he gestured to me, "and I have plenty of companions." I didn't say anything, just nodded. "Is that all?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, that's all I was wondering."

He slightly smiled. "Good." There was a loud knock. "That's Maroon." Dad rushed to the front door, I waited until I heard Maroon come in then I wandered into the foyer.

Maroon looked the same. Light blonde hair combed professionally, suit neat and freshly pressed, and his glasses pushed to the tip of his nose. "Samuel," he greeted, "how are you this fine morning?" Also, of course, his high-pitched yet soft voice.

"Fine, yourself?" I kept my tone serious and professional.

"Quite well, thank you." He turned to my dad and they started discussing something I wasn't interested in. We walked into the sitting room, which was fancy and formal, and sat down.

Barnella nervously stepped in. "Breakfast is ready, Master Saydan." We all stood and walked into the dining room. The table was filled with a good amount of breakfast foods. I spotted my favorites: Eggs and pancakes with berry sauce. I licked my lips with anticipation. Nella dished me a plateful and I scooped some up and shoved it in my mouth. It was definitely worth the anticipation. Dad took a forkful of eggs and tried them.

He scowled and said, "Barnella, these are the worst eggs you have ever prepared." I froze and looked up at Nella. She gently nodded and took away all the scrambled eggs.

"I'll fix a new batch." She scurried off. My dad rolled his eyes and gave a look to Maroon.

He shrugged. "She's a bit too old for this job."

Maroon nodded. "I could find you a new housekeeper, eager and ready to work."

Dad thought. "Tempting, but not at the moment." He looked at me. "Samuel is a bit too fond of her."

_Because she's the only parent I've ever had. _I wanted to say, but I didn't. I knew better than that.

"_You should go ahead and say it." _The voice said, loud and clear.

_I'd rather not die. _I thought. I picked at my pancakes

"Maroon, what's the newest on _Champion _Rocky?" My dad spit the word "champion" like it was acid.

"Well Sir, by next week hunting Pokémon will be illegal."

My dad dramatically rolled his eyes. "That's completely ridiculous. How are we supposed to get this delicious food?"

"Well, eating it will also be illegal. Shipping's from other regions will be illegal, too. Having meat in your home will get you sent to prison."

"Outrageous." Dad shook his head. "That champion…He doesn't know what he's doing. Sinnoh needs someone of power and success, not just a…Sport star." He mused.

"Like you?" I asked. The words spilled from my mouth, I wanted to put them back in. Fear shot through me, but quickly eased away. Dad didn't seem mad.

"Son, I would love to, but I am much too old." He slightly chuckled. My dad was in his fifties; usually trainers are teenagers, and the champions are around twenty or so. He was a bit too old for the role.

"What are you going to be doing, now that you've graduated and such?" Maroon asked me.

I chose my words carefully. "I hope to start challenging gyms, I'm just not sure _when_ I'll do it."

"What's stopping you?" Maroon said in-between bites.

I thought. _Nothing. _"Oh you know, friends and family." Maroon nodded. Smalltalk was made for a while, and then my dad excused me from the table and he and Maroon went into his study. I sat at the old table in the washroom while Nella cleaned up.

"I just don't understand why he wanted me there." It was baffling.

"You're growin' up. Someday you're goin' t' be a big businessman, he wants ya t' start early."

I rolled my eyes. "That's swallow." I muttered.

She whipped her head around and gave me the look. "Watch that mouth." She threatened.

I ignored her and continued. "I'm not interested in business and whatever else he does, and he shouldn't even want me interested…" I sighed. "Who knows? I'm certain I'll never understand my father."

* * *

My Staravia cawed a cry of victory against my new Zubat. In past times I would have been excited and zealous over this battle, but now I couldn't quite bring myself to that. This was the first time I had trained since graduation. So why wasn't I excited?

Because I couldn't stop thinking about the last battle I had. It was in trainer school against Haystack. We goofed off and got in trouble, but laughed about it for the next four days. My heart ached. I returned my fainted Pokémon and Staravia. I lingered in the backyard battlefield my dad had installed when I first graduated. _I should probably get my Pokémon healed and train some more. _I thought. _But I really don't want to…_

"_Why not?" _The voice asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Because I just don't want to, why are you so ridden _nosy_?!" I clenched my jaw and waited for an answer.

_"Because I care, you know that." _

I scoffed. "Care?! _Care_?! You couldn't _care less_ about me! You just want to toy with my life like a child. You want to bother me, influence me, and all that and I don't like it!"

_"What are you going to do about it?" _It challenged.

"Tell me what you want from me!" I yelled. My voice echoed around the large yard, rebounding off the trees surrounded Saydan Manor.

_"You are of great importance, Samuel Lea." _That was all it said.

"Really?! You're going to say that again?" I laughed humorlessly. "You're just…"

_"Say it! Tell me what you want!" _

"You're just a jerk! For some reason you want to _ruin_ my life!" My anger was harshly burning like a fire. My breaths were deep and jerky, and for reasons unbeknownst to me I just wanted to hit something. I fell to my knees. "…Are you doing this to me?" I whispered.

"_Doing what, exactly?" _

"Changing me into this angry person!"

_"You're doing that to yourself." _

"Who…Or what are you!"

_"I am who you need. The only being that can help you become something in this life. Who are you? A weak youngling, doing nothing with his life? You mope around your mansion without a purpose, other than to try and please your father? Let me ask you…Are you successful in pleasing him? Yes, he asked you to breakfast a few days ago, but what has he done since? Tell me." _

I swallowed and took a breath. "He's stayed in his study…He hasn't spoken to me since. Nella says it's because he's busy."

_"You oblivious fool!" _It snapped, _"that is one of your greatest weaknesses…Obliviousness, forgiveness, and denseness." _

"Who are you to insult me? You're nothing but a…Supernatural _being_ who thrives on others, I, however, am I human being with more intelligence then you could ever hope to have."

_"Lies. All lies. I may not be the smartest being, but I am close on the list. They are not insults, they are facts. You know they are true. On the contrary, your greatest strength is manipulation. You can manipulate your own emotions…Sometimes. If you work on it, soon you'll be able to manipulate any and all you want. You cannot do this alone, however." _

It had my attention. "Why can't I?"

_"You need my help. I am the only one who can help you." _

I shook my head. "You're full of deceit, you know that, right?" I chided.

_"Want me to show you?" _

Through the years of "corresponding" with this voice, it has never _shown_ me anything. This intrigued me. "How?"

_"Do you want to see?" _

I pushed all worries aside and said, "yes. Show me."

I quickly regretted my words. Darkness swallowed up everything around me; a sharp wind blew past, almost making me topple over. I stumbled sideways; I tried to fight the screaming wind. I squinted towards the direction the wind was coming from, but I couldn't see _anything._ I lifted my hand to block the sharp air. I noticed I couldn't see the outline of my palm and fingers. "What is happening?!" I yelled over the roar. The wind picked up. It sounded like a machine on high-speed. I started to lose balance, I couldn't stand up. I fell to my back. Pain flared through my lower back, shoulders and head.

In the same instant I fell, the scene changed. It was still dark, but not total darkness. I could see a ceiling with beams ahead of me. I turned my head. On the other side of the room I saw an old desk with a lantern burning brightly sitting proudly on it. I sat up slowly. I wasn't sure where I was, exactly. I guessed it was an attic. _Does my house have an attic?_ I stood up. My head almost touched the ceiling.

Slowly I walked to the desk. I looked behind me; nothing else was in the room. I turned my head forward. Something moved to the side of me. I froze. I looked in the corner of my eye. It was a person. He wasn't moving, either. I sucked in a breath of courage and quickly jumped close to the man, reaching for him. To my surprise he did the same. I let out a yell and then punched something. I stopped. My eyes caught up to my quick movements. I hit a large mirror.

Breath escaped from my lips and I shook my head. "Figures." I muttered. I moved my fist, I left a web-like crack on the glass. I shrugged and went to the desk. I picked up the lantern and held it up. It illuminated the rest of the aged room. There was nothing in there. "Why did you bring me here? What is this place?"

_"Nothing is as it seems. Look to your left." _

I turned my head. I was looking at my reflection. I shrugged and looked ahead of me. "So? It's just a mirror."

_"Look again." _

I rolled my eyes and turned. The lantern crashed to the floor, luckily not losing its light. I gasped. I wasn't looking at myself anymore…I was staring at a skeleton. _It's not me. It's a trick. _I stepped forward. So did the skeleton. Slowly I lifted my arm…

My fingers curled in front of my face. Skin, veins and blood covered them. Relief spilled over me. My eyes flicked back to the mirror. I jumped again. I was back to my normal self. "What the heck just happened?" I asked.

_"You saw yourself, did you not?" _

"No! I saw a walking skeleton!" I touched my face and examined myself to make sure I was back to normal. "Why'd you bring me here?! Answer me!"

_"To show you why you need me…"_ It answered. Its voice didn't echo. I saw something in the corner of my eye. I turned. A shadow manifested there. _"Are you ready to see, Samuel Lea?" _The shadow spoke. I gulped and nodded. _"Look at the mirror."_

I looked. This time it was like I was looking through a dirty window. I saw my dad, planted at his desk; Maroon at his side, leaning on the desk in-thought.

"I just wish he would start off already. I've given him proper training, I'll supply his needs, and he's well old enough." My dad sighed, propped his elbow on the desk, and rested his forehead in his hand.

"Maybe he's not ready, sir. He said his friends and family were holding him here." Maroon muttered.

"What friends? All the boy does is sleep and laze around like a _fool_. Well, I guess that's better than the friends he once spent his days with." I frowned. _You don't know my friends. _I thought. "And family? Maroon, do you sincerely believe he's that attached to me?" Humor rang in his tone. Dad shook his head, "I don't believe so."

_So…He wants me to leave? _

"Well, you should encourage him to leave off. Give him that needed push. Are you sure you want him to be a trainer?" There were traces of disbelief in Maroon's voice.

"Of course I do. Any champion is a better champion than Rocky."

Next thing I knew I was looking at myself again. I was confused. "So I'll leave and become a trainer. Why do I need you for that?"

_"Because, without me, you will fail miserably." _

"How do you know?" I challenged.

_"I may not be a Psychic being, but this is a mirror of psychometrics, crafted by the best Psychic Pokémon. Look, look into the mirror, now you will see your future without me." _I looked again.

I saw my living room torn to shreds. "Samuel Lea!" I heard my dad's voice, extra husky and angry. He wobbled into the room with a cane. He was aged, I wasn't sure how many years, his hair had completely whitened and he had a beard to match. In the hand that wasn't gripping the wooden cane he held a glass, brown liquid sloshing over the side as he limped into the room. "What are you doing here?" He looked right at me. I almost answered, but then I heard another voice.

"I came back to check on you." _Is that my voice? _It sounded like a deeper version of my voice. "I can see that you're not doing well. Where's Nella?"

"You," he paused and pointed his alcohol-filled glass at me, "are not allowed on this property. And I am doing well, actually. Better than _ever_. And I got rid of that maid, hired a new one." I looked around at the wrecked room.

"Are you sure?" I asked in disbelief.

"Oh shut your mouth." He took a large gulp of drink. "You're one to talk, you know. You did _quit, _after all. How many gyms did you make it through? Hm? Two, maybe three? And how many years has it been? You and your 'big dreams' got you nowhere, and now you're crawling back here because you have nowhere else to go."

"I should stop underestimating your knowledge of things. Still have all those business partners who feed you everything?"

Dad made a gargling noise as he downed the rest of his drink. "I have my ways of knowing everything. That's none of your concern, however. So, is that really why you're here, Samuel Lea? To bother me? Or do you need a roof over your head, and you came to your ever-so generous father?" He smirked and coughed a laugh. "Don't answer, I already know."

The scene swirled and rewound. I saw my father, much like he is now, standing next to me at a large business table. Everyone was clapping. A girl across from me said, "Congratulations, Samuel, it's good to have you on our team."

My dad patted my shoulder. "I agree, business partner." The scene fast-forwarded. I was standing in the kitchen with my dad. "You are extremely successful with me, and you want to _leave now_? No, I forbid it." He yelled.

"You can't forbid me!" I yelled, my voice older. "I want to be a trainer. You can't stop me. Partnering with you was a _mistake_!" I slammed the glass door and crossed the patio. Cold air enclosed me and snow covered the ground. I heard the door open.

"You walk out that door, and you're never allowed on this property again! And if you do cross this land, you'll never be leaving _again_!" A strong coat of venom filled his tone. I opened the patio door without hesitation and left.

The scenes stopped. I looked at the black shadow. I felt a bunch of emotion sting inside me. "This isn't true. That won't ever happen." I pointed to the mirror. "That's not even remotely possible."

_"Believe what you will…It is the truth. Now look and you will see your future with my help…" _

I looked back. Instantly I saw a nice room, done up in expensive things. The color scheme was black, white and silver. Something I would have put together. There was a fire burning in the fireplace. I walked towards it. I could feel the warmth from the calm fire, even through the mirror.

"Back so soon?" I heard a woman's voice. I looked over my shoulder. A tall, slender lady stood in the doorway. She smiled. My heart picked up speed. She was beautiful. Her platinum blonde hair fell past her shoulders, complimenting her oval face. I instantly noticed her lips, naturally ruby red and perfectly shaped. She strolled towards me and kissed me, with no hesitation. I swore I could feel her lips on mine, but it wasn't until I reached up and touched my own lips that I remembered I was _watching _the scene; not physically there.

To my dislike, the scene changed. I was looking into another mirror. But an older version of myself reflected back. I wore a suit; one like my father would wear, a nice grey coat and satin tie. Stubble crossed my chin, and my hair was gelled fashionably. I smirked at myself. _Not half bad. _I thought. I looked around the giant room. It was a master bedroom of sorts. It wasn't Saydan Manor, it was much more elegant. I walked to the glass door and out to the balcony.

The view was mesmerizing. Nothing but beautiful gardens for miles, it seemed like. Mountain formations were in the distance. "Where am I?" I asked.

_"The Sinnoh League, of course." _

I chuckled. "No way." I turned around and looked back into the bedroom. "I'm…I'm the champion?"

_"It would seem so." _The mirror changed back to normal.

My lips curled into a smile. "That was awesome."

_"See…You need me." _The shadow said.

I scoffed. "Yeah, right. I can accomplish that _on my own_, thank you."

_"Did you see fame, fortune, love and success in your future without me? No, you did not. Yet with my guidance, you can achieve anything you've ever wanted and deserved…" _

"How do I know you're not just feeding me buckets full of lies?"

_"Because, I also need you." _

"Need me?" I echoed. "How so?"

_"At this time, I am not at my strongest form…I am weak. I was unfairly treated, and want to correct it…I will help you earn that power, but then you must help me earn _my_ power…If I can get to my strongest form, you will have the strongest Pokémon in existence." _

Chills covered my arms. _Strongest Pokémon in existence is a big deal. _I thought. "You're a Pokémon, which Pokémon are you?"

_"I am not widely known due to my unfair treatment…But I am the great Giratina." _Red "eyes" appeared on the shadow. _"Do we have a deal, Samuel Lea?" _

I thought for a moment. There was something inside telling me this was a bad idea, but the other voice won over. I nodded. "It's a deal."

* * *

**Authors Note: **I really hope this chapter made sense, I know it was confusing at some parts...Two things I really strived for: Good flow and making it as understandable as possible. Did I succeed?

Anyways, yay! We're gettin' somewhere! I don't know how many chapters are left, but I can tell you there will be at least one more time-jump. I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone, but I promise, that's really the only way I can do what I was successfully, so hang on with me. And I would also like to announce that updates will be regular again. (Said every Fanfiction author ever) Seriously. I've been busy writing.

On another note, The Green [Winged] Hero has been put on hold...Again. I had to scrap my first draft and start over, and it's been brutal to write. I just can't get inspiration. Summertime, I need you.

So I apologize for the wait and such...I suck, I know. But please review! I feel like I don't hear anything from you guys anymore. Review, review, review!

Thanks for reading.


	6. The Way It Has To Be

Chapter Six: The Way It Has To Be

Nothing but darkness swallowed _everything. _Fear pricked at the hairs on the back of my neck. _What's happening?! _

I gasped, my eyes shot open. I sat up. My room looked normal enough. Some sunlight leaked through the windows and glass door, illuminating my room. I recognized sunset. "I guess I was gone most of the day." I muttered. I was dressed in the same clothes, under the covers of my bed. _This is weird. _I thought. It seemed dreamlike now. But I knew I wasn't sleeping. Even watching the mirror "visions" were too real.

_If _I were asleep, I would have been watching a vision in a dream. That would be way too confusing. I thought about dreaming, I normally just forgot my dreams once I woke up. But this one I didn't forget.

A shadow materialized in front of me. Startled, I swung my arm out defensively. My fist and forearm went right through the black shadow. I inched backwards on the bed. "What do you want?"

_"I wanted to tell you that you should be packing and preparing. For your journey and all." _

"Wait, wait, wait…You want me to leave _right away_?"

_"Of course. Why wouldn't you want to?"_ It questioned.

"…Because I need more time to train and get my Pokémon ready! Talk to Nella about it, do some research, all that stuff!"

_"Not good enough reasons, Samuel Lea. We made a deal. You should start getting ready to leave." _

"We—," I started, but the shadow left. I scratched my head. I hesitated at the thought of leaving. I wasn't sure why…I guess I didn't feel like I grew up. When you're a child, you think that once you grow up, you leave. Was I grown up? Why couldn't I tell?

What did being grown up mean? There was the obvious: Age. But at what age were you grown up? Was there an age? Not being an "adult" but being grown up. Or was there a difference? Being an adult meant you were old enough to do whatever you wanted…In Champion Rocky's reign that meant being eighteen. But by then, most people were either trainers or working. Most were even married. Really, the only thing you could do is drink alcohol.

So, that must mean you were an adult…But everyone seemed grown up by then.

I couldn't picture myself as a grown up. "How do I know?" I whispered to no one. "I'm just not ready." I shook my head. I lay back in my bed. I didn't realize how tired I was until that moment. _I guess it makes sense that I'm exhausted. _I closed my eyes.

Someone knocked on my door. "Great." I muttered. "Come in." I heard the door open. I lifted my head, Nella stood there.

"There you are." She said. "_What_ are you doin' in bed?!" She frowned. "Dinner is almost ready. Get yourself cleaned up."

I frowned back at her. "Nella, don't tell me what to do." I snapped.

She put her hands on her hips and looked like she was going to snap, but then straightened herself back up and didn't look me in the eyes. "Supper's almost ready, Samuel." She said gently, like she did to my father. She left, closing the door silently. I sighed and crawled out of my calling bed and went to the bathroom. _Another thing to adulthood is looks. _I added. I examined myself. I think I looked older for my age; maybe seventeen, not fifteen. I smirked before splashing water on my face.

I wandered to the dining room. Dinner smelled amazing. I noticed some kind of meat sitting on mine and my dad's plate. "Uh, Dad?"

He looked away from his food and up at me. Probably for the first time in a few days. "Yes, son?"

"Pokémon meat is completely illegal, is it not?"

He sighed and acted annoyed. "Not yet. I'm determined to enjoy every last moment."

I just nodded and sat. The meat was delicious, mostly because of the seasoning Nella used. The vegetables were fine…Tasted healthy enough. I picked at them mindlessly while I thought. _Just bring it up, you'll be leaving soon anyways, what's the worst that can happen?_ I cleared my throat."So Dad, I'm thinking about leaving soon…"

"Where?" He mumbled.

"You know, to be a trainer. I might even leave tomorrow. What do you think about that?"

He looked up at me. "You're certainly old enough to make this decision on your own, am I wrong?"

I frowned. "That's all you have to say?"

"What would you like me to say, Samuel?"

For some reason, that pushed me over the edge. "For one, you should either encourage or discourage me! I am _leaving_, you know. One way or another, I'm gone! And _why must you _call me Samuel all the time?! My whole life it's been _Samuel, _not Sam, Sammy, or anything else! No nicknames! Do you know that's what families do?! So say, 'That's great, Sam! I'm so proud of you!' like a _normal _father! Probably the way Haystacks family would have said it! They actually _did _call me Sammy, _they _did, and not my own family!" Before I knew it, I was yelling, and hot tears swam in my eyes. More so out of anger; not anything else.

My dad seemed practically unaffected. He shook his head, "I apologize that you never got a nickname. I guess I didn't think that such a childish thing would be a big deal. And if you're leaving one way or another, my opinion doesn't matter. Of course, I don't see you actually leaving, since you haven't yet…"

"Oh, I'm leaving! First thing tomorrow morning!" I slammed the fork I was gripping down on the plate, then stood harshly. I took a deep breath. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my bedroom." I turned to leave, hoping that my sudden flare of anger didn't get me in trouble.

"Since you're leaving and all," _Great. _I turned back around to look at my dad. "I won't say much…But please, treat _my _china," he pointed to the plate, "nicely during the process. And also," He stood up, "don't ever speak to me that way again." His tone was sharp, I just nodded and left.

I stormed to my room. Once I was there, I paced. Back and forth, back and forth. "This is such a bad idea! I'm not prepared! I'm not ready! But I can't _not _leave now, after making that mess in the dining room…" I slapped my forehead. "You're so stupid." I told myself. "You j—"

Nella knocked on my door. "Samuel Lea, can I come in?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "Yeah, come in." The door opened and stepped in.

"Now, I don't wanna talk about what _that _was about," she looked oddly excited and happy, "but someone is here t' see ya." She smiled and started brushing off my shirt. Although the action annoyed me, I let her continue.

"Who?" Surprise leaked in my voice. I didn't know who it could be.

"That girl who likes her hair up." She slightly laughed. She never called her Tails. I didn't know why.

I froze. "What does she want?" I whispered without realizing. My heart rate increased.

"Well I don't know! Just go down there and see her…But change that shirt first." She rushed out of the room, a grin planted on her face.

I quickly put on a different shirt, following Nella's advice. I walked to the door and paused. _What am I going to say? What am I going to do? _I felt myself sweating. I swallowed and continued. I walked to the back staircase leading to the kitchen and listened. I heard Nella talking to someone, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I started down the steps.

She was leaning up against the counter, hugging a bag to her chest. She looked so much older, it seemed, then she was. Which was rare for someone who didn't believe in makeup. Her hair was pulled into her double Ponyta-tails; she was wearing cargo shorts, reminding everyone she wasn't girly, but wore a fitted tank top, reminding everyone she _was_ a girl. My heart fluttered, as it did every time I saw her. I went to smile, but the feelings of hurt and betrayal reminded me not to.

Tails noticed me once I reached the bottom. She smiled gently, her face filling with happiness. But quickly being replaced with worry and confusion. "I brought this for you." She said while handing me the bag.

I looked in, there was a perfect loaf of berry bread. "Since when do you cook?" I asked.

"Technically, it's baking. I've _baked _forever." I sat the loaf on the counter.

"That's mighty nice, ain't it, Samuel?" Nella gave me the look. I ignored her and motioned to the backdoor.

"Why don't we step outside?" Tails nodded, and I held open the glass door. I followed her out and shut it quietly behind me. The night was almost fully here, with only some traces of daylight in the darkening sky. "Thanks for the bread." I stumbled over my words, but I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You're welcome." She muttered, and then cleared her throat. "Sammy, what's going on with you?" Worry and frustration filled her tone. My heart sank.

"I—I don't know…"

"You _don't know_? You start being a jerk to your best friends and you _don't know _why?!" She scoffed. "You're such a liar, it's not even funny!" She had over-expressive features, you could read her like a book. She bit her lip, her slightly pink, thin lips. Not naturally red and full like the lady from the mirror.

"Don't act like _you _don't know!" I snapped back. "Haystack told you what I did, you probably can figure it out."

"Actually, he was a good friend and _didn't_ tell me, unlike some people…" She sighed. "Haystack has been so upset. We both would wait at The Phantom for hours, but you never showed up. He doesn't like the fact he's lost his _best _friend."

"Yeah? And how do you feel about it?" I snapped.

She recoiled. "I feel just as upset, thank you! I lost a best friend, too! So explain yourself!"

"You guys never treated me right!" I yelled, "You never treated me like friends should! You pushed me around and called me names!"

"We _never_ did that!" She sounded appalled. "We were your friends—Are your friends! If you expect me to believe that, you're crazy."

We stared at each other for a second. "You want the truth?"

"More than anything." She whispered pleadingly.

"Fine." My voice was clear and strong, I manipulated my emotions so I came out looking tough. I took a few steps forward, so I was just inches away from her. "Truth is, that night I went looking for you. The night we graduated, I went to your house." She cocked her head at me. "I wanted to tell you that I never met anyone like you before. That you were the nicest, most genuine person I've ever come to know. That you made me happy like no one else. That I was in love with you."

She froze. She looked like a Stantler caught in the spotlight. Her thin lips were pressed together so hard you couldn't see them. Her eyes glossed over, and I was surprised the tears didn't fall down her colorless cheeks. I just looked straight in her eyes, never letting go of them.

We stood that way for a good minute, and then she finally took in a deep breath. "Samuel, I had no idea…I never even…You should have told—"

"Stop!" I snapped. I pointed at myself. "_I _was going to tell you. I went to your street that night, and do you know what I saw?" She opened her mouth, but I didn't let her answer. "You. I saw you, sitting—No, _pressed up against _some jerk, holding hands and whatever, I don't even want to know. Don't tell _me '_I should have told you'."

This time she really looked like she was caught in the spotlight. She swallowed. Tears fell down her face. I had never seen her cry before. Never, ever. Her eyes got really red and swollen quickly, and her breathing got hasty. "He's not a jerk." She muttered. "And there are reasons why I didn't tell you!"

"Right. Like what?"

"Like I'm not allowed to date! My dad would murder me if he knew!" She coughed and wiped her eyes. She was getting hysterical.

"What?! Haystack and I can keep a secret! Especially from _your dad_! And if that's true, why were on your front steps?!"

She tried to get herself together. "Another reason is, we both wanted it a secret. We knew we would be judged."

"I have _never _judged you!" I yelled. "I've done the complete opposite our whole lives! You know that! You're the one who's lying! Tell the truth!"

She hiccupped. "_Fine_! Maybe I liked you too, maybe I was afraid!"

I took a few steps back. All strength was lost. I felt cowardly instantly. "What?" I whispered. "That's not true."

"I didn't know if the feelings I felt were…Real. And Marcus asked me out, so I said yes. Turns out, I really like him. But I still was confused, so I was afraid to tell you I was seeing someone…And you can't tell Haystack anything, since he's awful at keeping secrets." She sniffled. "There, are you happy now?!"

I stood straight again. "So what you're saying is, you still don't know if you feel anything for me?" She nodded. "Well what do you feel for the jerk?" I commanded.

"I like him, I really do…" She took a step closer. "But now I know how you feel—"

"I said, I _was _in love with you." I snapped. "_Was, _as in, not anymore."

She gulped, and then a new flood of tears came on. She slumped into one of the chairs and put her face in her hands. "How long have you been with him?" I demanded.

"Graduation day was a month exactly." She said through hiccups.

"Well, I was in love with you for three years. I hope your _month_ was awesome." I walked through the door and slammed it. Nella stood there, probably eavesdropping on the whole thing. We just looked at each other for a moment, then I ran to my room.

Many emotions flowed throughout me. So many that I pushed a lot away. I paced in my room, but it was way too hot. I stomped to my balcony and walked out. You could see the closed-in back porch from there. I saw Tails, sitting there weeping on Nella's shoulder. It hurt me to see. For many reasons, one reason being that she didn't even have a mothers shoulder to cry on, another being that she was crying because of me… "Oh Tails…" I whispered into the night, "I'm so sorry…"

_"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault. She was hiding something from you. And she still doesn't like you the way you like her…She's just bad news…You know what you can have if you just leave…" _I thought back to the blonde mirror girl. She was beautiful. _She_ loved me.

"Tails can have Marcus." I slumped to my knees. Anger and sadness filled me. I watched Tails exit the porch. I couldn't tell if she was still crying or not. She looked up at the balcony, up at me, and paused. I didn't speak. She was looking right at me, I know she saw me.

"This is a misunderstanding!" She yelled, her voice cracking.

"I don't think so." I replied.

"How about we forget this, okay? We forget this whole thing and be friends again!" She sighed and sniffed. "…If you hate me, at least forgive Haystack. He didn't do anything wrong here."

_"She says all this, and doesn't apologize. You've obviously been hurt, and she doesn't even say 'sorry.' She's extremely selfish, it sounds like." _

_ You're right. _I thought back. _She's not even sorry. _

"I'm leaving." I yelled. "I'm becoming a trainer." I wanted her to at least know.

"When? When are you leaving?"

"Soon…Tell Haystack."

"Tell him yourself. Come with me now, we can tell him together. He'll be so happy."

I shook my head, but I knew there was hardly anyway for her to see it in the lowlight. "Goodbye, Mirada." I stood up and walked back into my room, without even looking behind. I closed the curtains on my door and windows, but when I peeked out, she was gone.

I started packing. I grabbed my battle bag and stuffed as many clothing items as I could into it, along with filling every pocket with whatever I thought I would need. I grabbed a second smaller bag and put my Pokéball's and other Pokémon essentials in it. Including going into my old playroom and turning the crank on the Pikachu-In-A-Box, once it popped open, it revealed my secret trainer money stash I had been collected for over five years. On the wall of the playroom was a collection of family photos taken every other year my whole life. The latest one, taken last year, made me kind of sad…Just to see my parents and myself, acting happy. I shook my head at it. _But we were never truly happy…This is the way it has to be. _I told myself over and over.

"This is it." I muttered to myself in the bathroom mirror. I was leaving, and no one could stop me. A rush of energy flooded over me, and oddly enough, my thoughts went to Cloud. _I wonder if Cloud felt this way when he left…This invisibility, energy, and the feeling of being grown up…I bet he did. _I remembered what he had said that day so many years ago: _"There's a time in everyone's life where they need to find new places and new faces. And I'm ready for that now." _I finally understood what he meant. He wasn't abandoning me, he was simply moving on. And it was my turn now. I thought to another thing he said: _"You need a new name for new places. I'm going to be a new person this time." _This time, it was my turn to be the new person.

I walked down into the kitchen. I saw Nella working in the washroom, probably cleaning up the dishes from dinner. "Dad, Nella." I yelled, loud enough so Dad could hear me in the study. Nella rushed into the room. Her eyes widened at the sights of my bags. She knew what was happening, and she was speechless.

"What is this, son?" Dad asked, hints of humor in his tone.

"Don't call me your _son_," I spit. "And what do you think? I'm leaving. I'm becoming a trainer. Getting out of _here_."

"Well, good that you're finally living up to your word, Samuel." Dad said.

I stepped out the backdoor. Right before I slammed it so hard the glass cracked, I said:

"No, call me Lea."

* * *

**Authors Note: **Ermagersh!

Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I was pleasantly surprised at the feedback, and it was pretty darn awesome. Oh, and remember how I said updates would be regular? ...I'm a liar, apparently.

*Enter lame excuse here* I wrote this chapter in one day, so I thought I was getting a wave of inspiration, but *spoiler alert* the next chapter contains a battle, and if any of you were with me through The Champion's Beginning and even Pokémon: Indigo (Throwback Thursday), you all know that battles are my enemies. After ALL OF THOSE FREAKING BATTLES I had to write in TCB, I really never wanted to write any more of those repulsively deplorable, atrociously abominable, horrendously ghastly (Ten points for me) THINGS again. So why do I write Pokémon Fanfiction, you ask?

Cause I'm Batman.


	7. The Thrill

Chapter Seven: The Thrill

The room grew quiet. I could feel the multiple pairs of eyes on me. The energy around was strong. My heart hammered in my chest, harder than possibly ever. I could feel the sweat on my forehead, but I wasn't nervous. I had no reason to be. I had the upper-hand.

My eyes moved across the field. My opponent stood tall and ready. Her brown curls were pulled back behind her, making her look even more intimidating. The pre-anxiety set in, along with pure adrenaline. Battling was so _fun. _

_One Pokémon down, two more to go. _I thought. Felicity, my rival, wasn't anyone to worry about. As intimidating as she was, she was a Fire Type enthusiast. My Gyarados easily wiped out her weakling Monferno. Between Dragon Rage and Surf, he didn't stand a chance. And neither does the Flareon she just released.

"Bite." I yelled. My huge Pokémon lunged forward and bit the opponents back. Flareon arched his back and swiped his claws across Gyarados' scales. He let go and shot backwards.

"Quick Attack." Felicity commanded. Flareon sprinted and leapt into the air, tackling Gyarados. "Ember!" The foe held on to my Pokémon, and then fire shot from his mouth. Gyarados roared and shook his body hastily, Flareon crashed to the ground.

"Surf, now." Gyarados focused, water whirled around him like a tornado, then rolled across the floor and over the opponent. "Dragon Rage." On top of the water nearly drowning the rival, Gyarados roared and blew a blue, fire-like substance into the water.

Flareon shot out of the water gasping, and zoomed to my Pokémon. He tackled him and pushed him to the ground. "Bite, now!" He sunk his teeth into Gyarados.

"Shake him off!" My Pokémon swung his snake-like body and the foe fell to the ground. "Bite." I yelled, and Gyarados obeyed.

"Ember." Flareon yelped once Gyarados bit him, then shot fire at him, scorching his scales. Gyarados let go and the rival hopped backwards.

"Surf." Water formed and attacked Flareon. Instantly he fell limp on the ground; Felicity lifted her head and eyed me down her nose. I smirked and raised my eyebrows. She returned her fainted Pokémon.

"Slugma, let's go." The tiny lava slug materialized and tensed up. Well, tensed up as much as a lava slug could, I guess.

"Surf!" I commanded. Gyarados used the move perfectly, causing Slugma to be slammed to the ground in a rush of water.

"Flamethrower." Slugma composed himself and opened his mouth. Fire rolled out; the crowd made noises of awe and excitement at how much fire came out. I was shocked myself, and didn't do anything when Gyarados was hit and fell to the ground. He looked at me when he lay there, and I knew he couldn't continue. I returned him and thought for a moment. _Luxio. He'll do the job. _"Luxio, finish her off." I released my Pokémon.

"Rock Throw!" Felicity yelled. Slugma formed rocks and hurdled them Luxio. He avoided a few of the rocks, but not all. "Ember." The fire left a burn mark on Luxio's fur, he growled and looked at me for a command.

"Charge, Luxio!" He breathed in deeply, and you could see the electricity buzz on the surface of his skin. "Spark." He breathed out and let all the electricity bounce out and hit Slugma.

"Yawn!" Slugma yawned widely, and the next thing I knew he fell to the ground fast asleep. I slapped my forehead and returned him.

"Go Staravia!" My large Flying Type came out and flew into the air. I wasn't worried, she was my toughest Pokémon. "Quick Attack." She swooped down and attacked the foe. I knew it was hard hit.

"Flamethrower!" Felicity tried.

"Dodge, Wing Attack!" Staravia flew higher, avoiding the fire completely. Then came down and slammed her wing into Slugma.

"Rock Throw." Slugma growled and created a _lot_ of rocks. They flew through the air and hit my Pokémon, causing her to fall to the ground. "Flamethrower." Flames engrossed Staravia, I heard her caw right before she flew out the fire.

"Quick Attack." She tackled the slug, then hit him with Wing Attack. I smiled. _I'm about to win._ I thought.

"Ember." Slugma hit Staravia pretty hard, she fell down to the ground but quickly recovered.

"Tackle." I called. My Pokémon flung her body on top of the opponent, and instantly he let out a cry of pain. Everyone knew he had fainted, and there was a moment of pure silence.

The crowd cheered. You could slice through the energy and life of the room with a knife. There were so many people gathered here to watch this simple battle. It was only my second gym, yet it seemed like I already had a fan club. That made me grin even more than my win. I understood why trainers _love_ what they do; because of the thrill. That unexplainable burning inside of you. Mixtures of passion and fright. Maybe not the scary kind of fright, but the good kind of fright. The enjoyable kind.

Possibly, I don't know.

Felicity started her stride across the battlefield. I stood tall as she approached me. "Well kid, it looks like you might actually make something of yourself." She said. She smirked and handed me a badge and a handful on money. "Congratulations."

I took the stuff and grinned. "Thank you." She nodded and I looked at the crowd. The clapping and yelling had started to die down. I grinned at them and started for the entrance. They moved aside like I was untouchable and started cheering again as I left. That feeling was truly unbeatable.

My first battle in Eterna against Lake was just as thrilling. A crowd of five people stood nearby and watched as Staravia destroyed his Grass Types. Before that I spent time traveling around Jubilife, Floaroma and Sandgem. Almost two months I spent in intense training.

A part of me thought my dad would come looking for me, so I stayed in Jubilife the most. Knowing that would be where he'd look. But he never looked. I considered going home a few times, but Giratina always got me thinking differently. It didn't bother me that he hung around, he was good company. Especially during the lonely nights in Centers. Whenever he was around I would get a supernatural feeling; that was usually how I could tell. Or he'd manifest as a black shadow and scare me half to death.

I counted my winnings. A little over three-hundred dollars. I could easily get used to this.

I walked to the Canalave Center and healed my Pokémon before heading to my room. I flopped on my bed and thought about the next challenge. "Veilstone Gym." I said aloud. That would be a long walk. I would need Staravia to evolve before I could teach her Fly, and that wouldn't be happening soon. I averaged a two-to-three day walk. Plus I would have to walk through Hearthrome…I wasn't looking forward to that. I could travel around it, but it would be pointless and difficult.

_"Just don't visit the people who pushed you away. Then it'll be fine." _Giratina said.

"Yeah I know. I won't be visiting _anyone._" That was the attitude I had when I was in Eterna. A small part of my wondered about my mom, but I just went there, beat the gym and left. I liked Canalave though, so I considered staying and training. I've already been here three days, so I had two more nights which were free in the Center. Then I had to pay a nightly fee. I decided to stay until then.

I left the Center and walked over to some café to get dinner. It wasn't Nella's cooking, but it was close. Out of everything in Hearthrome, I could safely say I missed Nella. I couldn't care less about Dad or my old friends. Sometimes I found myself missing Haystack, since he was pretty much my best friend my whole life, but I always got over it.

The snooty waiter handed me my plate of honey-slathered bread and a vegetable sandwich. Pokémon meat was officially banned, along with hunting and everything else involved. I'm sure my father's doing everything in his power to reverse this. Maybe, maybe not. He could surprise me.

I don't know where I stand on the matter. I grew up eating meat and didn't think much of it. I still didn't. Sure, a nice Stantler sandwich would be good, but they were Pokémon. _What if I killed and ate my Staravia. _I thought. I slightly shuddered. I took a bite from my sandwich and had to choke it down. It tasted decent. Not because of the leafy vegetables, but because of some sauce they dowsed it in. The soggy texture made it gag-worthy. _Yeah, a Stantler sandwich would be nice right about now._ I dropped my food and grimaced at it. _Maybe if a glare at it hard enough, it will turn into something more delicious. _

"Are you mad at the sandwich?" I snapped out of my locked stare and looked up. A girl stood there, raising her eyebrows at me, waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth to answer "Yes," but quickly thought otherwise and coughed.

"I'm not sure," I said hastily. The girl shook her head and sat across the table.

"You looked like you were thinking murderous thoughts to that poor sandwich."

I smirked, "maybe I was."

She laughed. "Right. Anyways, I wanted to inform you that you're not the only trainer who's making something of themselves."

"Let me guess, you're a trainer."

She grinned. "Yup, and I just let Felicity have it too. Faster than you, might I admit. Yup, I'm not far from prodigy." She joked.

"Are you saying you're better than _me_?" I asked in fake disbelief. "Uh, you should think again."

"I didn't say that. Imply, maybe, but I didn't say that." She slightly smiled. Instantly something clicked in my head. Her lips. I couldn't forget them. She was mirror girl. A slightly younger version, but her nonetheless. _Why didn't I see it before?! _Then I realized: her hair was perfectly tucked under her hat. Otherwise, I would have known right away. "What?" She gave me a weird look. I looked away, realizing I was gawking at her from two feet away.

"Being a trainer is awesome, isn't it?" I tried.

She paused, "it's pretty great, yes." Mirror girl looked past me, toward the door no doubt. "I should go. Good luck on your training, Lea. Hopefully I'll see you around." She stood up.

"Same to you, uh…" I stood up hastily, almost knocking the chair over in the process.

"Annie."

"Annie," I repeated and grinned. She returned a smile and walked past me and out the café door. I stood there, glued to the floor, watching the love of my life walk away.

* * *

**Authors Note: **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Did you? How'd you like it? HHhhhhmmm?

Recently I started a Nuzlocke Challenge! Anybody try it before? So far it's quite annoying...But It's really fun! I'm posting an update on the challenge every Monday on my blog. The link is on my profile. Go, go to the blog...OR ELSE.

Hope yall have a really great weekend! Thanks for reading.


	8. What Opponents Do

Chapter Eight: What Opponents Do

I stayed two more nights in Canalave. I trained in a nearby field all day, and went back to that café for dinner on both nights. I was hoping to run into Annie during one of the dinners, but I never saw her around. My guess was she already left for Veilstone.

I zipped up my bag and put it on my back. Giratina had materialized a while ago, but didn't feel like talking apparently. I turned off the light before walking out of my Center room. I left quickly; trying to catch the boat back to Jubilife. I made it to the docks in plenty of time, and found a spot on a bench somewhere. The water was a deep green color, and when the foam splashed up on the boat it turned into a lighter green. As we left the docks I noticed two older men sitting on the edge with fishing rods in-hand. I turned to the man next to me, who was aimlessly flipping through a magazine, and asked, "isn't fishing illegal, now?"

He looked up and saw the men fishing. "No," he answered, "fishing isn't illegal, only killing innocent Pokémon is. Fishing in this case is another form of catching Pokémon, they can just pull up a Water Type harmlessly and catch it. Otherwise, they would be pulling up a Water Type and killing it."

I nodded. That made sense. "But what if the Pokémon came out of the water and started attacking you? You could kill it in self-defense then, right?"

"That wouldn't happen. You would be armed with a Pokémon and it would become a battle. No killing necessary. If you did _kill _it, that would be breaking the law, and you would have a problem on your hands."

"I guess so." I said. The man stood up and left, obviously not in the mood to do anymore talking. I sat back and waited.

The ride was quick…As to be expected. Then I started my walk. Jubilife is the second largest city in Sinnoh, Sunyshore being the first, but the path from the docks to the route home was a quick walk. After that you had a dirt road through a forest until you reach the dirt roads of Hearthrome.

You can always tell which dirt roads are Hearthrome's. They're always perfectly cleaned and swept off. The Contest Hall workers hated the thought of Hearthrome, or the Hall, having a bad reputation. I understood that. Solaceon was nothing but dirty farmlands, I get that they didn't want that image for their contests.

I avoided the main streets, knowing that if I took one I'd have to walk through the marketplace…Where people I knew could be. Avoiding people was easier than I thought, almost disappointingly so. There was the part of me hoping Nella or Haystack would see me and tell me how much I'm missed and how loved I am, but that didn't happen. Once I got to Route 209 I stopped. I looked down at my shoes.

Homesickness pinched at my sides. I didn't realize how much I missed home.

_"Home?" _Giratina's dark shadow materialized in front of me. _"That's not your home anymore. Do you really think you're welcomed back to Saydan Manor? Your father would throw you out the second you walked in. He doesn't miss you, much less love you. You already know that friend of yours doesn't care…So is that really your home?" _

I shook my head. "No, it's not. But it's the closest thing I have to a home."

_"You need to find a new home." _

"Well that's a grand idea, except I can't find a 'home' right now." I scoffed. "In case you forgot, that was gym number two. If I'm going for the League, I have a long way to go. It could be a year! Until then," I pointed towards Hearthome, "that's my home." I started walking towards it.

_"Don't do this. You saw the future yourself, Samuel Lea." _

I stopped. "_Don't_ call me that." I smashed my teeth together.

_"If you want my help, turn around and keep walking. Drop the idea of your fake home. If you go back into that town, even if you take another step, I'll leave and find someone else. Remember what your life looked like without me?" _ I did remember. It wasn't pleasant.

I sighed and turned back around. The shadow was still there. I walked past it and headed for the forest nearby to set up camp; without muttering a word.

* * *

The next day I made it to Veilstone. I got into my Center room and relaxed for the rest of the evening. In the morning I woke up early, anxious to get some more training in. In Solaceon I talked to the daycare owners and they happily gave me some tips. I wanted to put them into action.

Before that, I found the Mart and picked up breakfast. Then it was training for the rest of the day. Gyarados was my strongest Pokémon with Staravia close behind. Gyarados always had his head in the game. I felt like he led my team. Staravia was rapidly getting stronger, but she had her moments of weakness. Luxio was my weakest, he was just average. I didn't think much of him. Maybe that was the problem, but I wasn't worried. My team worked well so far.

Later in the day I wandered into the nearby forest and had a run-in with a feisty Zubat. I caught him and put him in action, he was pretty good. Your average Zubat, except even more fidgety. If that was possible. I found that a good trait for him. It made him tougher. It seemed that he used the fright he had to his advantage. He was so scared of his surroundings that it made him a better Pokémon.

Weird, how such a bad emotion could _help_ you. Well, maybe not help, but make you...Better.

Soon after that I relaxed in my room until I fell asleep. I was awoken abruptly really early by Giratina. It was so dark I couldn't even see his manifested shadow in my room.

"What do you want, fiend?" I asked, my voice muffed by my pillow.

_"Are you going to challenge the gym today, Samuel Lea?" _

"_Lea_," I corrected, "and no, I'm not. Can I sleep now?"

_"Why not?!" _ I jumped and lifted my head. Giratina had never yelled at me before. Its voice, if you could call it that, got so rough and husky. It bounced around my head, giving me a headache. It was arguably the scariest moment of my life.

"Because I'm not ready!" I whisper-yelled back. "I was going to train today, and then maybe I'll be ready tomorrow."

_"Just hurry it along." _ I felt it leave me, and my head fell back on the pillow. I closed my eyes, hoping to sleep, but I couldn't. I lay there for a while, and then I got up, took a shower, at breakfast and headed to the training field.

At around lunchtime I walked around the main streets of the city; looking for a place to find grub. There were some questionable shopping locations, otherwise my quest for non-Mart food was unsuccessful.

I came across a pretty large building, all lit up with a big fluorescent sign flashing "The Game Corner." I considering going in, but thought against it when my stomach growled at me. I kept walking. Luckily two buildings down was a restaurant. I went in and sat down. The place was somewhat shady. Hardly any windows, dark colors covered the walls, you could smell hints of smoke in the air, the tables still had remains of the last meal on them, and the waitress was a questionable character. Her greasy red Ponyta-tail and stained work clothes fit right in with the rest of the place.

"What can I get for you, sir?" She asked.

"Some kind of soup, any kind, and a glass of water." She nodded and jotted it down before moving on to the table ahead of me. I could see the back of the girls head. Platinum blonde hair poked out from under the hat she wore. That was undoubtedly Annie. I stood up and walked over to her table. I was _very _nervous. So much so that my hands began to sweat…Badly.

I stopped just short of her peripherals to take a deep breath, then I continued and sat across from her. "Murder any sandwiches lately?" I asked, my voice shook a bit.

"Maybe I have." She smirked at me. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting some somewhat eatable food…Same as you."

Annie smiled and looked down at her book.

"Uh, what are you reading?" I asked.

She lifted up the book. It looked like some sort of text book, with writing in another language written on the front. "This is a book on learning Unknown Writing, the ancient Pokémon language. I thought that if I wanted to be the best trainer of all time, I'd need to learn it."

"Makes sense. Maybe I should borrow it from you sometime." _Well that sounded lame. _I thought. I cleared my throat. "Or…Something."

She slightly laughed. "It seems like a bad idea to give my book to my opponent, don't you think?"

"I'm your _opponent_? And here I thought we were friends." I shook my head. "You think you know a person."

"Well, I _did_ just beat the gym here…I think I'm in the lead." She made a victorious face.

"You haven't won anything yet, Annie." I reminded her. "I'm still in the running, remember?"

"Not for long, Lea." She winked. "When are you planning to challenge the gym?"

"Tomorrow, I think." I answered. "When are you leaving?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't been here long. I haven't had time to enjoy the city." She looked out the window and then back at me. "You know?" I nodded. "I've been traveling nonstop since Eterna, and I think I want to…Settle for a little while. Just a little while."

"Actually, I was thinking the same thing." I said. That was only kind of a lie, not a full-fledged lie.

"Hm, maybe we should train together then." The waitress brought my soup and water…Which it was hard to tell a difference between the two.

"We should train together. That's what opponents do, right?" I asked.

She laughed. "Not really, but I'll make an exception." She stood from the table with her book in-hand. "Meet me at the training field in an hour, or else." She squinted at me then laughed.

"I'll see you then." I smiled. She grinned before leaving the restaurant. I inhaled my soup, hardly tasting it, downed my water, left a few dollars and ran back to the Center. I took another shower—for good measure—and walked out to the field. I wasn't sure if an hour had passed, but I was a little anxious.

Annie stood out on the field with a Grotle in front of her. "Hey." I called as I approached her.

She waved. "Hello! Ready to train?"

I nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The session was brief, probably twenty minutes long. Her Grotle against my Staravia for a quick battle, then we discussed some techniques and other nonchalant trainer things. Nothing exciting. She wished me good luck before running off. The encounter was more than awkward, and I didn't want to think about it for the rest of the day. But it was all I could think about, especially when I was sulking in my room.

"I just don't know what to do!" I said to no one. I was hoping if I started talking, Giratina would show up. I needed to talk to someone. Even if that someone was a Pokémon who manifested into shadows and liked mirrors a bit too much.

I slapped my forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I thought about right after the battle, when we walked to the middle of the field to shake hands like in any battle. My hands were terribly sweaty, and I know she noticed. She had to. There's no not-noticing perspired hands.

That wasn't the only horrific time of the encounter. More than I should have, I stuttered. When trying to start a new conversation it would dawn on me that I was talking to a girl, and apparently my tongue grew ten-times its average size and would disallow me to speak. That didn't make any sense, considering I've never had a problem talking to Tails. I guess I looked differently at Annie. Knowing the future, knowing the woman she will be, just made it difficult at times.

Apart from that, she didn't seem nervous at all. She seemed awkward, but never nervous. Until the end, when she quickly said "Good luck with everything!" and ran off the field before I could reply. That made me feel _super. _

"Stupid!" I repeated. Supernatural chills ran throughout my body. I knew Giratina was around. "What am I supposed to do?!" I asked, hoping for an answer.

_"Why does it bother you so?"_ It questioned. _"You know your future…You know what it holds…It holds a great tale, one of which involves love…Why are you fretting?" _

"Because it felt so _awkward_."

_"You humans _feel _too much. So what if it _felt _awkward? Soon enough, she will be devastatingly in love with you. Go challenge the gym tomorrow, she will be there. Talk to her, and everything will be okay." _

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. I sighed, "how do you know?"

_"Would I lie to you?" _

"I don't know, would you?" Suspicion lingered in my tone. I didn't really trust Giratina, but I had no other option. What _else_ was I supposed to do?

_"Never, I promise."_


	9. Ace of Hearts

Chapter Nine: Ace of Hearts

A breath of relief escaped my lips as I took in the moment. The clapping and cheering rang in my ear _so _loudly. I couldn't help but clap myself; even though I was clapping for my victory against Phillip, the Gym Leader of Veilstone. He had Ground Type's which I destroyed with Gyarados, and I thought I had it in the bag. Until he surprised me by releasing Voltorb, and I threw my Zubat into action. He poisoned the foe before fainting, and then I put Luxio against him. It was a nail-biting battle, but I came out on top.

I had the biggest and cheesiest grin planted on my face. Sign of a big ego, so I've been told; when you feel over-accomplished and good about yourself. Not just that, also when you believe you're better than someone even when you just beat their Pokémon's guts out…Maybe I had an above-average ego. But I could tell Phillip was a sore loser, another sign of a large ego. He stood across the field looking pitiful. He kept looking over his shoulder towards the door in the back; I knew he was just waiting for the right time to make a getaway. There would be no handshaking here.

The clapping continued for a few more moments. I swept the crowd with my eyes, biggest one yet. People were crammed _everywhere._ Some kids even had to sit up on their parents' shoulders to see. Everyone in town must have been there to watch. I waved at them and the clapping roared up again. I laughed and started towards the door. As soon as I moved, they all ran onto the battlefield and crowded around me. They shoved pens and papers in my face yelling "Autograph! Autograph, please!" The sensational feeling that I felt was nothing less than amazing.

I was stuck there for probably another ten minutes, talking to people, signing stuff, and getting hugs from strangers. It was awesome. After that, I finally left the gym and hurried for the Center. I stood there waiting while my Pokémon were getting healed. The process wasn't too long, especially for Veilstone. They had a bit more money than smaller towns like Eterna did, so they could afford this machine that heals the Pokémon while they're enclosed in Pokéballs. Eterna has to take the Pokémon out and manually heal them with syringes and medicines. When learning about it in trainer school I was told it wasn't a pretty sight to see. Apparently the Pokémon fight back sometimes and have to be violently seized so the nurses can get the job done. That's why this new healing machine was manufactured and forced into any Center who could afford it. People started to get worried that their Pokémon were being harmed, and Rocky had to please them. I'm not saying I hate these new machines, but I mean, come on, Pokémon aren't so easily harmed. They spend their life _battling _for Pete's sake. They can handle it. But, it happened and hey, at least the wait time isn't as long.

Another person walked up to the counter so I stepped away. While looking around for a clock I couldn't help but wince at the tacky interior. It looked like someone threw up the color orange on everything. Most Centers were like that, however this one was somehow worse. The front door opened and hit the small bell above it, telling everyone someone just walked in. I looked, it was Annie; and she was sauntering in my direction. Surprisingly, she wasn't wearing a hat. Her platinum blonde locks fell around her face perfectly, and lay right under her shoulders at her collarbone. Her hair curled slightly, almost looking styled but I knew otherwise. Even with just her hair change it made her look so different; much older and way prettier. Not that she wasn't beautiful enough, because she was, no doubt about it.

"Great job out there, you really annihilated." She said and smiled a quirky smile.

I tried to say thank you…Or anything, but couldn't. So I just cleared my throat and coughed. "Why don't you always have your hair down?" I finally said, but quickly regretted it.

Annie laughed. "So you noticed, huh? That's exactly why I keep it up during battles. I don't want anyone to underestimate my abilities by my looks."

I nodded. "And people would do that." I quickly shook my head. "I mean, no, I mean…" I sighed.

"It's okay, I know what you mean." She laughed again. "So were you nervous when Phillip threw his Voltorb?"

"Nah, why would I be nervous? I still had Luxio, Zubat and Staravia. Plus potions. I knew I would win." I smirked.

"You're a cocky one, aren't you?"

"Just a little." We laughed. I leaned back on the wall. "So, still going to be in town for a while?"

"Yeah, there's something about this place that I like." She shrugged. "I better get going, I'll see you later Lea."

"See you." I smiled at her as she left the Center, it never seemed like our meetings were long enough. She left too prematurely. That made me think it was awkward or weird for her to be in my presence…Sheesh, that was a depressing thought. Ignoring that pestering thought, I got my Pokémon and decided to go out to town. It was about dinner time, but I wasn't hungry just yet. I thought I should take a look around. I took a new road, it went through a neighborhood before it met up with what I guessed was the main road. It had a long row of shops, that questionable restaurant, and The Game Corner at the end of the street. I walked towards it, almost drawn to the flashing fluorescent lights and the music flowing out the front door.

People crowded around the door; everyone trying to get in at once. Most of the ladies wore a dress and the men were just as fancy. I looked down at myself. I wore a pair of khaki pants and a collared shirt, I was fine. I continued on. As I got closer the music was all I could hear, and I could smell smoke mixed with strong perfume. The music wasn't jumpy but it wasn't classical, either. It was a style of its own almost.

I stood in the grouping of people. They all were loud; trying to talk to each other above the music. It was hectic, but kind of cool. Someone tapped my shoulder, I turned around. A girl stood there, grinning at me. "I was at your battle today!" She yelled.

"Really?" I yelled back, not thinking of anything else to say.

"Yeah, it was _so cool_! You're like, an awesome trainer, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't say that."

"I would!" She laughed. "I'll see you around, Lea." I nodded and she pushed through the crowd. I smiled at myself, _Fans, who knew? _I thought. More people joined the crowd. I tried to keep my place, but people were cutting in front. I finally gave up and pushed forward. I ignored the people giving me dirty looks and approached the doorway.

Once I finally got in, I stopped and gaped at the sight. The first thing that caught my attention was the large, marble fountain in the back. The water rolled off the top and elegantly splashed to the bottom; it added a sense of classiness to the joint. The carpet was somewhat wild, the red and purple swirling design looked tacky, in my opinion. The walls were painted red, and had a diamond design covering the upper half. There were fancy card tables scattered about, along with a few rows of slot machines, a bar in the corner, and a clutter of couches and chairs in the middle. Everything was red and purple, with a diamond design anywhere they could put it; chair backs, lamp shades, etcetera. The place as a whole didn't look tacky, in fact it looked quite nice. I could definitely see the appeal.

I started to wander around. The music wasn't nearly as loud in here, but people were screaming at the slot machines…I stayed away from there. My next choice was the seating, but too many people were all trying to sit at once. And by at once, I meant at once. There were more than a few people sitting on each other's laps. Then there was the bar…Which was also too full. I settled for a nearby card table.

People gathered around; playing and watching. A man rolled dice around his hand, then expertly tossed it on the table. They tumbled forward and stopped, revealing two silhouettes of what looked like a Gyarados; a twisting snake-like body.

"Yes!" The people cheered. The man who tossed the dice threw his fist in the air in victory. The man working at the table retrieved the dice with a stick thing and looked at the winner.

"Sir," he started, "you're now at one-thousand-fifty Poké. If you get double Pikachu or Pidgey, it'll go up to eleven-hundred even. If you get a Pikachu _and_ Pidgey, you'll be raised to seventeen-hundred. Want to take your prize money—"

"No way! I'm on fire!" The man yelled. The crowd cheered and he swiped the dice from the worker. He paused and focused, then released his tight grip on the cubes. They bounded across the table, everyone drawing in a deep breath; including me. They stopped. Two silhouettes of a bird. Everyone went crazy.

"Now you need double Pikachu, and you'll be the winner of three-thousand Poké. Are you going to take that chance?" The worker questioned.

This time the man thought. _If I were him, I'd take my winnings. He's not going to get it. Luck doesn't exist. Don't do it, man, don't go for it. _I thought. "I'm going for it, three-thousand Poké sounds so great right now." He shook the dice and blew in his fist, then let them go. One Pidgey, one Staryu. Everyone made a sound of disappointment, and the man playing slapped his face and growled.

"Sorry sir, you were so close." The worker said empathetically.

"Just one more roll, I'll get it, you have to let me. I was _this close _to winning." He pleaded.

"No can do, care to play again?"

The man punched the table. "No can do? You're pitiful. I'm out of here." He stomped off.

"Who's next?" The suited worker put on the charm, and someone else stepped up to roll the dice. I moved on to the next table. A group sat around it, with the worker sitting at the head. They all had cards fanned out in their hands and a deck in the middle. After standing there for a whole round, I couldn't put together what they were playing. It was confusing. During that round nothing happened…At least that I could tell. I observed. The old man put down a six, and the lady made a noise of aggravation.

"Pass." She said through gritted teeth. The next player put down a ten, the next a queen, king, then ace. The person who put down the ace grinned, thinking he had taken it home. The worker matched his grin and put down a two, apparently automatically winning. He pulled the stack of cards towards him then slapped down three fives; finishing his hand. Everyone groaned and handed money to him.

"I'm the winner once again, my friends." He said slyly. "Who's up for another round?" Almost everyone stayed and played again. I moved on to the table in a back room. It was a shady setup, but wasn't off-limits. Another dice game was taking place. I walked up at the right time, because someone rolled a perfect twelve, and the opponent (I assumed) flipped out.

"You're a cheater, Ace! That dice is _loaded. _I know it is. Nobody is that lucky." He yelled. He pointed a finger at the man he was against. "_Rematch_, at my place, tonight. With _my_ die."

"Hold up now, not until I get the money you oh-so-rightfully owe me."

"We'll settle it over another game of Fushigidane tonight."

"I don't think so, money first." Ace snapped his fingers and the two huge guys behind him grabbed the opponent. He struggled and started to yell, but they carried him into another room; closing the door harshly. He turned around and started sorting the game table, with the help of the worker there. His getup was almost humorous. He wore a silver and black suit jacket that had the familiar diamond pattern on it, this time mixed with hearts, red dress pants and a purple collared shirt underneath. He wore a black top hat and dark shaded glasses. He put an old-fashioned pipe into his mouth and said, "who's next?" as best he could while gripping the thing with his teeth. He raised his head and looked around the room. This was the first time I could see his features, and it clicked.

The silver hair, slanted cheekbones, small forehead… "Cloud?" I took a step forward.

At first he froze, but within seconds he smirked and removed the pipe. "Well if it isn't Richie Rich, the richest one of all!" He walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulder. He led me into the next room, which was a lounge guarded by a hefty worker. "I've got to be honest here, I didn't even recognize you." He sat down on a diamond-back chair and motioned to the couch. I sat.

"Three years does that. I didn't recognize you at first, either." I looked at his costume-like outfit. "Especially in that getup. What were you thinking?" I laughed.

"The ladies love the look." He grinned. "That's why the name isn't Cloud anymore."

"Oh, right, _Storm._" I remembered back to that day in Hearthrome…I pushed away the oncoming feelings.

"No, no, they call me Ace of Hearts." He opened his jacket and flashed an ace of hearts playing card sewed into the inside. "I'm the proud owner of this fine establishment." He motioned around him dramatically.

My jaw dropped. "You _own_ this place?!" I pictured the shack he used to lived in—which he did not own—and the stolen food—which he did not own—and the raggedy clothes he someone got…There was no way he legitimately owned The Game Corner. Then again, a lot can happen in three years.

"Of course, it's been about a year and a half since I spruced it up. It's been a good year. What brings you here?" I ignored the unintentional rhyme.

"I came here to challenge the gym, and was just walking around when I thought I'd take a look inside."

"Enticing, isn't it?" I nodded. "And once you're here, you just _don't _want to leave." He grinned. "I would ask you to catch me up on Hearthrome, but frankly I don't care." He laughed, and I joined in. "Come on, let's enjoy ourselves." We stood up, and I followed him back into the next room. A group had started another dice game, and Ace of Hearts walked up to the table. He put his arms around the shoulders of the people next to him. He said something I couldn't hear, and then walked away. He motioned for me to follow.

We walked back to the main area. If it were possible, more people had come in. "Let's play something fun, huh?" Ace said. We walked to the nearest table. "Hello!" He greeted loudly. The people playing looked at him with a look of confusion. "I hope you lovely, _lovely _people won't mind too much…But would you move on to another table?" The worker there started to clean up the game, and someone started to get aggravated.

"You can't just do that!" She yelled.

"Oh yes, my dear, I can. Now," he put his arm around her waist and pointed to a nearby table, "go there and tell that man _I _said you can play right away. Okay?" The girl nodded and walked away, the rest of the group stayed. Ace stepped up to the table with a laugh, I stood next to him. He pulled out a wad of cash and slapped it down. Everyone else placed their bets. "I get first roll, I believe." He said with a sly smile. The worker handed him the die, and he rolled it smoothly. A six came up. "Not bad, not bad." He said.

I watched another few rounds, getting pretty engrossed in the game. After the fourth round, someone left the table. "A spot opened up just for you." Ace said to me.

Hesitantly, I said "I don't gamble."

He smirked. "That's something young, _boring _people say." He put his arm around my shoulder, something I could tell he did often. "Young and naïve, you are. First rounds on me, won't cost you a cent." He opened his palm and shoved the dice at me.

"Just because it isn't my money doesn't mean it's not money. It's still gambling. Gambling is stupid." I pressed my lips together. I hoped that I hadn't offended Ace, since he made his living off of other people gambling…But that's the stupid part, just by the way he dressed—costume-like or not—You could tell he had a good bit of money…And he obviously got it because he owns the place. Because people lose. Because people get addicted. Because people cling to the factor of "luck," but there just was no such thing.

Ace chuckled. "That's because you've never done it. How do you know unless you've tried? What better time is there than right now?" I didn't say anything. The group around nodded in agreement, and someone even said "Just do it, it's fun."

"Just roll the dice. What's the worst that could happen?" Ace coaxed. I thought. _Here goes nothing. _I grabbed the dice. The people around me cheered, and I grinned. I rolled them.

Snake eyes.

* * *

"Look at that luck." Ace shook his head almost in disbelief. The people around stopped cheering for my lucky roll. He looked at me with a crooked smile. "Roll again?" I took a deep breath and looked down at the table. The adrenaline rush was addictive. Thrilling, even. It reminded me of battling, but different in a weird way. _I shouldn't gamble, this isn't right. _My dad hosted fundraising events sometimes, and I remember when Maroon or someone would suggest a gambling event. He would decline, insisting that gambling was the biggest waste of time and money. "It just isn't logical," he had said, "you have to make your own luck."

Frankly, I agreed. "I don't think so. That was fun though, thanks." Besides, I needed to focus on training.

Ace of Hearts nodded and scratched his chin. "Too bad. I thought you were different than the Richie I knew back in the day." He knew what he was doing. I was smart enough to know it, too, but I wasn't smart or mature enough to take the right route.

"You know what, hand me the dice." I said and held out my palm. He grinned and placed them in my hand; I rolled. I got another good roll and the crowd cheered, and so did I. After winning, I continued to play for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next few days meshed together. I fell into a routine. Wake up, train, meet up with Annie, eat dinner and then go to The Game Corner. Because Ace and I were close friends years ago, he almost gave me special treatment. Everyone else took to treating me special, too. It was nice to walk in like a king. I definitely saw why Ace was proud of where he was. Everyone in town knew him. Or at least knew _of_ him. They did treat him like a king, in a way. Some people at least. Others obviously hated his guts, but, as he said, 'That's the price you must pay.'

After the dinner portion of my daily routine I wandered to The Game Corner. It was a Tuesday night, so there wasn't a huge crowd outside. It was raining heavily as I approached the building. I walked in; the smell of smoke strong. I instinctively walked towards the backroom, where I became accustomed. Ace sat at the game table with a group of men I had never seen before. One of the men, the nicest dressed, slammed his cards down and stood up harshly, knocking over his chair in the process, just as I approached.

"Cheater! _Cheater_!" He yelled. I heard that a lot. Not yelled at me, but around The Corner. Everyone loved to yell that at one another. Most of them truly believed that, too. That they were just _too_ great and couldn't be beat, the only logical explanation being that their opponent was unfair somehow.

Ace calmly removed his pipe from his mouth, "no, Sind, you're just a sore loser." He grinned crookedly as he gripped his pipe in-between his front teeth. "Now give me my money."

"You're not getting that money, Ace! I don't pay cheaters. They don't deserve it." Sind tossed his cards and chips and marched past me; his group following him out the door.

I walked over to the table and sat down. "You alright?"

"Yeah, you have to deal with this stuff in this business." He rested his forehead in his palm. "I'll just have to go after them and get my money." He lifted his head and grinned at me. "That's the fun part."

"What are you going to do?" I asked, a little taken aback by "fun part." Even though I've seen a lot of behind the scenes things in the few days I've been around, I was always learning something new. That led me to believe there was a lot going on here.

"Normally I'd send Jack of Spades or Clubs and I'd stay here…But today I'm thinking I want to go. You should come, Rich." His grin widened.

"_Lea,_" I corrected, "I guess I could go…" I was a bit unsure as to what I was going to, but I assumed it wasn't going to be pretty. But there was a strange part of me, some twinge deep in my gut that urged me to go. I shrugged, "why not?"

"Fabulous." Ace rumbled, practically viscous-like. The New Cloud was very different than the one I knew as a youngling. He used to act tough—as he still does—but in a teenage boy way; not in the threatening, actual _power _way. The way he spoke, he could kill. Easily. That wasn't the Cloud I knew. The Cloud I knew cared. I could see it; so could Nella. He was the one who protected us from the older kids in the beginning, after all. Just by the little things he did, like walk Tails home after it got late and talk Haystack out of the _really _stupid ideas he got. Now, though…I couldn't tell if there was an ounce of genuine left in him. He was so…Painted on. He told me when I first saw him here that people liked his costume, people also like his mask, apparently. The fakeness he carries is shocking. It would take someone that saw him years ago to tell, however, because he had become a great actor. I felt myself falling for it; falling for the act. And yet, there was that twinge, the one that said "This is who he has become. You've changed too, you know."

I don't know what to think anymore. The only thing I knew for certain: Cloud was gone.

"Let's go, then." Ace said as he switched from a pipe to a cigar. He winked, "I like to look a tad more menacing when I'm hunting." He switched his costume-like jacket to a black suit jacket and led the way outside. It had stopped pouring and only sprinkled, but the remains of a downpour still was evident. "Now, act like you know what you're doing and nothing will go amiss. Just stand firm behind me, don't act shocked or surprised, and if the situation calls for it…Bring out that big fish Pokémon of yours. Got it?"

"Got it." I echoed and clutched my trainer bag closer. We walked into the neighborhood side of town. It was peacefully quite at the end of sunset. All the children who played in the streets were inside, everyone had come home for the night; or left for the night depending on who you were. The inside of the houses were all lit up and spilling light out on the road. _What are we doing here? _I had thought of gory images as we were leaving The Game Corner, and putting them in such a serene environment didn't fit. But we turned onto another street. It was just as quaint looking, yet different somehow. I followed Ace into an alley next to beat-up brick house. There was a silhouette of a group at the end of the alley. They were all smoking something, I could smell the foul air, and they tensed as we approached. They were in fact the group from before. But how did Ace know where to find them?

"Gentlemen." Ace greeted through a grin. "Now if you'll hand me my money, I'll leave without any trouble."

The biggest man walked up to him and pushed his chest. He jumped back, and I took a few steps backwards. My heart pounded, but I tried to keep cool. "You think you make all the rules around here, but you're delusional. Reality is, _Ace of Hearts, _that I make the rules. Not a small, little man in a clown costume." The man's voice was deep and husky, it suited him.

"Big talker, are you?" Ace's voice rolled like it did earlier, but more like a purr than a growl. "It's funny how you tell the most successful man in Veilstone—that would be me, mind you—that _you, _someone who enjoys playing sweet little card games in your basement, makes the rules. When I, dear sir, have gotten filthy rich because of other peoples misfortune. Right, Rich Stuff?" I saw his white teeth grin at me in the darkness.

I gulped and twitched. "Duh, right." I sounded stupidly confident and immature. I clenched my eyes closed, expecting some invisible force to slap me. Oh, how I wish that could happen.

The large man, Sind, grabbed Ace by his shirt and pushed him up against the wall. Some other man grabbed me and I panicked. I squirmed as hard as I could, thinking I could out-strength this man. That's when I had the awful realization that…I couldn't. I was completely helpless. And, I also realized I hated that feeling…A lot.

"You got filthy rich by ripping off mob dealers!" Sind swore loudly and Ace chuckled.

"As rule maker, I say this can't happen." Before Sind could speak, Ace grabbed the knife from his waist and shoved it up to Sind's throat. He released him, and Ace reversed the scene by pushed Sind against the wall. "You made me drop my cigar!" Ace yelled, and I saw him push the knife deeper. Sind grunted, and I hastily looked around for the rest of his group, worried someone might attack Ace. The others must have run away; the only remaining one being my keeper. "I just want my money, Sind."

"Fine! Fine!" He hardly choked out the words. He moved his hand towards his pocket, then punched Ace in the face. He staggered back, and Sind pounced on him. I took this opportunity to quickly get away from this guy, by I only got one arm free. I slapped and punched my "keeper", but was unsuccessful in doing anything except getting kicked in the shin, and then being clutched again. He was a big man.

Choking noises came from Ace and Sind, and I couldn't tell which was which in this dark alley. I just saw two men rolling around choking each other. I noticed Ace had dropped his knife…In my head I thought of quickly hitting it with my foot, propelling it into the air and masterly catching it in one of the hands behind my back, where I would thrust it into the stomach of my attacker, he would let me go, then I would slice up Sind and help Ace win. But, not only could I not reach the knife, I would never be able to do that.

Luckily, I saw Ace spring up. "Ace! Your knife is _right there_!" I said quickly.

"No need to worry, kid." Ace pulled out a double set of knifes and stabbed both Sind, who had just leapt up, and my attacker. I spun away from him and grabbed Gyarados' Pokéball.

"Gyarados, Bite!" He came out ready to fight, but stopped and looked at me. "_Do it_!" I bellowed and pointed to Sind, who gaped at my Pokémon. Gyarados grabbed his beefy arm, which looked frail in his mouth, and lifted him into the air. Sind squirmed and yelled.

"The money is yours!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out everything in it. Dollar bills rained down on Ace, and he laughed and collected the money. My opponent was on his knees gripping his side. While Ace barely stabbed Sind that last time, he got my guy good. I felt some sorrow for the man. I wanted to walk over to him and help him up…But I knew I couldn't do that. I was on Ace's team.

"Alright, Giant Fish Thing, let him go." Gyarados looked at me and I nodded. He dropped Sind, who fell harshly to the ground, and I returned him. Sind started to get up, and Ace walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulders. "Nicely done, Lea." We started walking back. "We make a fine team." I ignored the rhyme, again.

"I guess we do." I muttered. I didn't know what to think after that. When I thought rolling dice or battling was an adrenaline rush, it was before I was the one battling. But that was a terrifying adrenaline rush. "I just don't get it…Why'd you have to do that?"

"They rightfully owed me money, what's a man to do?"

The street was utterly dark as we walked. "Not that! You _stabbed_ people!"

"Sind and Kellen, they've been stealing money like that from me forever. They got what they deserved. They'll be playing at The Corner again in a matter of days, this happens all the time." He shrugged. "Don't worry so much."

I sighed and didn't say anything until we neared The Corner. "You could have done something a little less violent…Won't they come after you? If this is part of the job, they'll be stabbing you next."

He waved me off. "That's why I have guards." He poked my side with his elbow, and even though I anticipated it I flinched and jerked away. "A little shaky?" I gathered myself and sucked in a deep breath.

"Well, I was just a part of a gang fight." I murmured as we walked through the few gambling crowds. Ace nodded and smiled to a few people when we passed.

Entering the lady-filled lounge, who all flocked to Ace when we stepped in, Ace switched jackets and placed his pipe in his mouth. He turned and looked at me through his shaded glasses. "Gang fight? Hah, you haven't seen _anything _yet."

* * *

**Authors Note: **Hey guys! How's it going? So, this chapter is really important. It's the start of something, you know. This story is finally about to take off, hurrah! Constructive criticism/any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I hope everyone has a fantastic day, see you next time.


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